A pair of men suspected of Saturday morning’s armed robbery at a Telshor area fast food restaurant are facing multiple first and second degree felony counts.
Lewie A. Gonzalez, 28, and Frankie Valenzuela, 36, are charged with 10 counts each of armed robbery, five counts each of kidnapping and one count each of conspiracy. The armed robbery counts are second-degree felonies while the kidnapping counts are first-degree felonies.
At around 12:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, Las Cruces Police were dispatched to the report of an armed robbery in progress at the Jack in the Box restaurant at 501 S. Telshor Blvd. First arriving officers noticed one man, later identified as Gonzalez, running from the restaurant and carrying a brown paper bag.
An officer ordered the man to stop by he refused to comply. The officer gave chase and caught Gonzalez near the intersection of Lohman Avenue and Nacho Drive.
Witnesses advised officers that the driver of a red vehicle was also involved and that car fled north along Telshor Boulevard. An LCPD officer spotted the vehicle and conducted a high-risk stop on the car near Spruce Avenue. Valenzuela was identified as the driver and he was detained.
Las Cruces Police investigators learned that Gonzalez and Valenzuela entered the Jack in the Box and demanded money from restaurant employees and customers. Investigators determined that Valenzuela was armed with a silver handgun while Gonzalez was armed with a knife.
Valenzuela is believed to have herded five employees into a walk-in freezer while Gonzalez remained in the restaurant’s lobby where he threatened four customers and took personal property and cash from them. Valenzuela took an undisclosed amount of cash from the restaurant before fleeing.
No physical injuries were reported. Both suspects were found to have in their possession property that was taken during the armed robbery.
Gonzalez was booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center with bond set at $10,000. Valenzuela is being held on a $25,000 bond.
Information from Las Cruces Police