Suspect in Armed Robbery at 7-Eleven Arrested

A 20-year-old San Mateo man has been arrested in connection with the robbery of a 7-Eleven store last week, San Mateo police said Tuesday.

Parker Ames is in custody on armed robbery charges for the incident in which he allegedly donned a skull mask and robbed the 7-Eleven at 501 N. San Mateo Drive at knifepoint at about 12:45 a.m. Friday, San Mateo Police Sgt. Dave Norris said.

The suspect took an undisclosed amount of cash, and was last seen fleeing on foot south on San Mateo Drive from the store.

Based on "a great spot by a community member," and collaborative information provided by the Redwood City Police Department, San Mateo police identified and arrested Ames. 

Detectives evaluated available video footage, canvassed the area for evidence, and conducted additional investigations in an attempt to identify this suspect.

As part of SMPD’s multi-pronged approach, they also coordinated with and provided information about this case to other police agencies Bay Area-wide in an attempt to identify similar crimes and suspects in other jurisdictions.  

On Tuesday, Oct. 1, San Mateo detectives received information from the Redwood City Police Department identifying a possible suspect in SMPD’s 7-Eleven case. 

Ames was recently arrested by Redwood City police for another robbery, after an alert witness notified them of the crime and the suspect’s location.

San Mateo detectives obtained a search warrant for Ames’ residence and located evidence connecting him to the 7-Eleven robbery, Norris said.

Ames has been booked into San Mateo County Jail.