Violent Gunmen Rob Convenience Stores With Rifle, Handgun

SAN JOSE, CA — Detectives in San Jose worked with other law enforcement agencies around the Bay Area to arrest three men suspected in a string of convenience store robberies, the police department said.

On Friday, just after 5 a.m., officers responded to a convenience store that had just been robbed in the 400 block of South Kiely Boulevard. According to a store employee, three male suspects entered the business, two of which were brandishing guns—one had a black handgun and the other had a black rifle.

The victim was struck in the head with the end of the handgun and two of the suspects forcefully grabbed the victim and pushed him toward the cash register. He was forced to open it and the thieves took off with several hundred dollars, police said in a statement Tuesday.

Investigators believed that the three suspects were linked to other convenience store armed robberies in the city of Santa Clara on Wednesday and Union City on Friday.

San Jose police coordinated with police in both cities to identify the vehicle used by the suspects.

On Friday afternoon, Santa Clara police said they found the vehicle unoccupied. San Jose police then identified four suspects: Blay Tacha Mellizo, 22, Juan Hernandez Estrada, 18, Andrey Guedez Melo, 19, and an unnamed male juvenile, 17.

A search warrant was executed for a location related to the case and detectives allegedly seized two replica firearms believed to have been used during the robberies.

The three adult suspects were booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail and the juvenile suspect was booked into the Santa Clara Juvenile Hall, all on suspicion of armed robbery.

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