Santa Cruz Police Make 2 Arrests In 3 St. Paddy's Day Robberies

SANTA CRUZ, CA — Two people have been arrested in connection with three of four armed robberies committed in Santa Cruz on the night of St. Patrick's Day.

Manuel A. Montoya, 21, and Leilani M. Allen, 28, were each charged with three counts of robbery and one count of conspiracy, the Santa Cruz Police Department said in a statement. Allen, who police say was the getaway driver, faces an additional charge of being an accessory to a felony.

Both are residents of Santa Cruz County.

Robberies occurred around 10 p.m. at the Domino's Pizza on Mission Street, 10:20 p.m. at the Valero gas station on Ocean Street and around 10:30 p.m. at Lloyd's Liquors on Soquel Avenue, police said. A fourth robbery committed that night remains under investigation.

Read: 4 Armed Robberies; DUI; Pursuit: Rowdy Santa Cruz St. Paddy's Day

Officers quickly realized the three robberies were connected, police said. A suspect pointed a semi-automatic pistol at the store clerk in the first incident and officers arrived to the second robbery to find it involved a suspect matching the same description.

Police reviewed hours of surveillance footage, which led them to Montoya, police said. An arrest warrant was issued for him Thursday and officers arrested him that day, while he was a passenger in a car driving along the 700 block of Ocean Street.

Officers detained Allen during Montoya's arrest and determined she acted as his getaway driver, police said.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Detective Taylor Trueblood at 831-420-5837.

Both Montoya and Allen remained in custody at Santa Cruz County Jail as of Friday morning.