Hanford Police End Multi-County Robbery Spree

Hanford police stopped a string of crimes that stretched from Porterville to Visalia, Lemoore and Hanford in the early hours of May 20, according to police accounts from Tulare and Kings counties. Officers arrested two adults and a 16-year-old after a pursuit in Hanford ended in a crash involving a stolen vehicle, authorities said. Investigators linked the group to an armed carjacking in Porterville, an armed robbery at a Visalia 7-Eleven and an armed robbery in Lemoore. By Thursday, Porterville police said the fourth suspect had also been arrested. ### How did the case move across four cities in a few hours? Porterville police said the first reported crime came at about 1:25 a.m. Wednesday, when a woman was robbed at gunpoint on North Salisbury Street and forced out of her vehicle. Officers said four suspects then stole the vehicle and drove away. Visalia police were dispatched at about 2:05 a.m. to the 7-Eleven on South Mooney Boulevard for an armed robbery that had just occurred, according to police reports cited by local outlets. Officers said three masked suspects entered with handguns, demanded money and fled in a black vehicle believed to be the same one taken in Porterville. (yourcentralvalley.com) Hanford officers encountered the stolen vehicle later that morning, according to police. When an officer activated a siren, the suspects fled, and the pursuit ended after the vehicle crashed in Hanford. Three suspects were taken into custody there, police said. ### Who was arrested, and what did police say about the fourth suspect? (yourcentralvalley.com) Visalia police identified the three people arrested Wednesday as Michael Ortiz, 18, Esteban Santana Baeza, 20, and a 16-year-old, all from Porterville. Officers said a fourth suspect initially remained outstanding and was believed to have acted as the getaway driver. (yourcentralvalley.com) Porterville police said Thursday that the final suspect was found and arrested in Porterville. Because of the suspect’s age, police did not release a name and said the person was booked into juvenile detention. Police also said all four suspects were associated with a criminal street gang. That characterization came from investigators; court records or charging documents were not immediately cited in the reports reviewed. (yourcentralvalley.com) ### What happened in the Visalia robbery? Visalia police said three masked suspects entered the South Mooney Boulevard 7-Eleven with handguns and demanded money from the clerk. (yourcentralvalley.com) During the robbery, the clerk was struck with a handgun while cash was taken from the register, according to police. Police said the clerk was not injured. (yourcentralvalley.com) The suspects then fled southbound on Mooney Boulevard in the black vehicle that investigators believed had been stolen in Porterville less than an hour earlier. ### Where does Lemoore fit into the investigation? Lemoore entered the case after investigators recovered a firearm following the Hanford arrests, police said. (yourcentralvalley.com) Visalia officers said the gun was believed to have been used in an armed robbery in Lemoore before the 7-Eleven robbery in Visalia. Recorder coverage of the case said the spree crossed Tulare and Kings counties and included crimes in Visalia, Lemoore and Hanford before the arrests. (yourcentralvalley.com) That account matched the sequence described by Visalia and Porterville police. ### What comes next in the case? (yourcentralvalley.com) Kings County authorities booked the three suspects arrested Wednesday into jail, according to police, while the fourth suspect was booked Thursday into juvenile detention in Porterville. Investigations by Porterville, Visalia and Hanford police were continuing as of May 21. Visalia police asked anyone with information about the case to call 559-734-8117, and Porterville police directed tips to 559-782-7400 or through the department’s social media accounts. (recorderonline.com) Those agencies are expected to handle the next public updates on charges and court proceedings. (yourcentralvalley.com)