'Dare Me Bandit' Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison

A man who committed 14 armed robberies at convenience stores and fast-food restaurants in San Diego and La Mesa, including one in which he fired into a wall, was sentenced Tuesday to 25 years in state prison.

Alex Sanchez, 24, pleaded guilty in May to 13 counts of robbery and one count of attempted robbery in connection with the "Dare Me Bandit" robbery series, which ran from July 22 to Sept. 24, 2012.

Sanchez had faced a maximum of 28 years behind bars.

Alternate Public Defender Jim McMahon, arguing for the low term of 22 years, told Judge Eugenia Eyherabide that Sanchez had no prior criminal record and was remorseful for his actions.

But prosecutor Martin Doyle said the defendant was deserving of the 25- year sentence, saying Sanchez pointed a gun at store clerks in some robberies and fired the shot into the wall at a 7-Eleven on Genesee Avenue.

Sanchez' accomplice, 25-year-old Luis Cruz, pleaded guilty last month to robbery, burglary and assault charges and will be sentenced Nov. 22. He was arrested by La Mesa police last September.

The "Dare Me Bandit" robbery series targeted a dozen businesses in San Diego and at least five others elsewhere in the county, including multiple 7- Eleven stores and Circle K convenience stores. The moniker stemmed from the way the robber walked into businesses with a firearm already out, making his intention clear.

–City News Service