Watsonville Walgreen Stabbing Suspects Arrested

WATSONVILLE, CA — Watsonville police early Tuesday morning arrested two suspects who were involved with the robbery and stabbing of a male victim in a Walgreens parking lot last week. Officers identified the suspects as 38-year-old Carlos Alvarez and 32-year-old Ariel Ramirez Cruz. Alvarez was arrested in the parking lot of Walgreens at 1810 Freedom Blvd. just after 1:15 a.m. Cruz was arrested in the parking lot of a Motel 6 on Silver Leaf Drive about 90 minutes later, police said.

Last Thursday, officers were dispatched and found the 28-year-old transient victim who had been stabbed in the torso. The suspects approached the victim on foot and confronted him, taking the victim's backpack before stabbing him. Both suspects fled and officers were unable to find their vehicle that sped off on Freedom Boulevard, described as an early to mid-2000s beige GMC or Chevrolet Suburban. Officers collected evidence and reviewed surveillance video footage but the suspects remained at large for nearly a week.

The victim was treated at the scene and was later flown to a trauma center for treatment of his injuries. The injuries were not considered life-threatening. After the arrests, officers were able to recover valuable items of
evidence including some of the victim's property, police said.

Alvarez and Cruz were booked into Santa Cruz County Jail. Alvarez was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon as well as armed robbery and violation of probation. Cruz was booked for assault with a deadly
weapon and armed robbery.

Anyone with more information regarding the case is encouraged to call the Watsonville Police Investigation Division at (831) 768-3350 or a crime tip line at (831) 768-3544.

By Bay City News

Photo courtesy Renee Schiavone/ Patch