Peninsula Robbery Suspect Tracked Down Through Rideshare App: Police

SAN MATEO, CA — A man accused of robbing thousands of dollars from a San Mateo check cashing business was arrested this week after police learned he hailed a rideshare service to flee the crime scene, according to police.

The investigation began last month after a cashier reported a man with a disguise who gave her a robbery note and threatened her life. Police said the cashier handed over a large sum of cash, and the man fled the area.

Officers canvassed the area and received surveillance video from the surrounding area. Detectives said the footage they pieced together showed the man walking to a nearby street and getting picked up by a vehicle a few minutes after the robbery.

Police learned the vehicle belonged to a rideshare driver and secured a search warrant to get records from the company. Detectives believed the suspect used a false name to order the ride, and utilized several other warrants to positively identify the suspect as someone who was arrested last year on a firearms charge, police said.

"While the process to obtain official records from these systems may delay a positive identification and arrest, our work does not stop," the department wrote in a news release. "It is necessary we confirm the right people are charged with these crimes, and our police work is backed by evidence to ensure a successful prosecution."

Police identified the suspect as Juan Pablo Sanchez, 21, of San Mateo.

Detectives pulled him over in Redwood City on Monday and served an arrest warrant. Police said two loaded guns, ammo and drugs were found in the vehicle, and a search of Sanchez's home revealed evidence linking him to the San Mateo robery.