Two Arrested After Senter Road Robbery

An armed robbery case in South San Jose turned out to be bigger than one late-night stickup. Police say two men who hit a business on Senter Road on April 21 were also tied to another armed robbery in Morgan Hill about an hour earlier. That changes the shape of the story — from a single violent theft to what looks like a short, fast robbery run across two cities. San Jose police announced the arrests on May 8. ### What happened on Senter Road? The San Jose case started at about 11:33 p.m. on April 21, when patrol officers were sent to a business in the 4200 block of Senter Road. Police say two men went inside, pointed firearms at an employee, demanded money, and got cash from a register. Investigators say the suspects also took a second register by force before leaving before officers arrived. (sjpd.org) ### Who did police arrest? San Jose detectives identified the suspects as Jose Sanchez-Gonzalez, 21, of Gilroy, and Javier Larios, 23, of Dos Palos. Both were arrested on robbery allegations and booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail. Larios was picked up in Gilroy on April 22 by Gilroy police and then transferred to San Jose officers. Sanchez-Gonzalez was arrested later, on May 5, with help from the SJPD Covert Response Unit. (sjpd.org) ### Why does Morgan Hill matter? Because this apparently was not one robbery that spun out of nowhere. Detectives say the same two suspects were involved in a separate armed robbery at a Morgan Hill business roughly an hour before the San Jose crime. That suggests planning, movement between jurisdictions, and a much tighter timeline than the first headline implies. Basically, police are describing a linked two-stop robbery sequence in one night. (sjpd.org) ### What did detectives recover? When investigators served search warrants tied to the suspects’ residences, they say they found large amounts of cash, a firearm with an extended magazine, and other evidence connected to the crimes. That matters because robbery cases often hinge on more than victim identification — prosecutors want the physical trail too. Cash, the gun, and items tied to the holdups can help turn an arrest announcement into a stronger filed case. (sjpd.org) ### Was anyone reported injured? The police release does not say the employee was physically injured. But the key detail is the threat level — detectives say firearms were brandished and the employee handed over money because he feared for his life. In robbery cases, that distinction matters. The alleged use of guns pushes the case into a more serious category even without a reported shooting or assault injury. (sjpd.org) ### Why did the arrests come days later? That gap is pretty normal in a case like this. The robbery happened on April 21, one suspect was arrested the next day, and the second was arrested on May 5. Police say detectives first built the case, then got arrest warrants and search warrants. That usually means investigators believed they had enough to connect the suspects to both robberies before moving in. (sjpd.org) ### What happens now? The investigation is still open, and San Jose police are asking for tips about this case or similar ones. They directed people to Detective Ortega in the Robbery Unit and also pointed to anonymous tip options through P3TIPS, the tip line, and Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers. That usually means detectives are still checking whether the same crew may be tied to other incidents. (sjpd.org) ### Bottom line The important shift here is simple — police are not describing one random robbery anymore. They say two suspects carried out armed holdups in Morgan Hill and San Jose within about an hour, then left behind enough evidence for detectives to build a cross-city case. (sjpd.org)