Full Notification

A June robbery of a Check Cashing business by a masked robber ends in his arrest after SMPD detectives identify him and serve an arrest warrant. Drugs and loaded firearms were found in his vehicle during a search warrant.
 
San Mateo, CA – On Saturday, June 8, 2024, San Mateo Police officers were dispatched to the 600 block of S. Norfolk Street at 3:16pm on report of an armed robbery. The female cashier reported to have been robbed by an unknown male, who disguised his appearance. He informed her of the robbery via note and threatened to kill her with a gun he had on his person. At that time, the cashier gave the suspect almost $16,000, and he then fled the scene.

Officers canvassed the surrounding neighborhoods for security/surveillance cameras/footage and were able to obtain video surveillance from numerous residents in the area. Piecing together footage, they learned the suspect left the check cashing business and then walked to the area of Patricia Avenue, where he was picked up by a vehicle approximately 5 minutes later.

On June 11^th, detectives were able to ascertain the vehicle that picked up the suspect was being utilized for ridesharing. By authoring and serving a search warrant for records on the rideshare company, a few days later, detectives received information possibly identifying the suspect. Detectives believed it was likely the subject who ordered the rideshare lied about his name, so after several additional search warrants were written and served, on July 3^rd, detectives were able to positively identify the suspect in this case as Juan Pablo Sanchez. (Someone who had previously been arrested for unlawful possession of a firearm by our department in 2023.)

Yesterday, Monday, July 15, 2024, San Mateo Police detectives served an arrest on Juan Pablo Sanchez during a traffic stop in Redwood City, CA. At 12:11pm, Sanchez was arrested. Search warrants were then served on his vehicle and at his home in San Mateo, CA. Two loaded firearms and drugs were found in the car, and additional ammunition and evidence connecting Sanchez to the crime were found in his home. Today, Sanchez was “booked” on several on-view charges stemming from discoveries made by officers at the time of his arrest. One of the firearms found in his vehicle was confirmed stolen and he was in possession of an extended-round magazine and armor-piercing ammunition.

Within 3 days of the incident, officers were able to obtain a likely identification of this suspect because of the “boots on the ground” police work it takes to walk our neighborhoods looking for evidence and witnesses, utilizing records management systems and databases, as well as relying on their training and experience. While the process to obtain official records from these systems may delay a positive identification and arrest, our work does not stop. It is necessary we confirm the right people are charged with these crimes and our police work is backed by evidence to ensure a successful prosecution. Several search warrants later, our initial identification was confirmed and led to yesterday’s successful arrest. The capture of this potentially dangerous subject by SMPD officers will hopefully put an end to his criminal activity.

We continue to remind our community that security cameras are a very valuable tool for law enforcement and encourage residents to purchase them for their homes. Should they capture a crime, the footage is helpful in possibly identifying a suspect, showing officers direction of travel, and aiding in the prosecution when it comes time to show the footage to a jury. If you do have security cameras, we suggest mounting cameras to all the ingress/egress points of your home, as well as street facing. Register your cameras with our Neighborhood Eyes Security Team (NEST) here:  https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/2726/Security-Camera-Registration.

ARRESTEE:

Juan Pablo Sanchez, age 21, San Mateo, CA resident

CHARGE(S):

Arrest Warrant for 212.5(c) PC – Second Degree Robbery, 487 PC – Grand Theft, and 136.1(b)(1) PC – Dissuading a Witness from Reporting a Crime

On-view Charges:  12022. 1 PC – Committing a felony while out on bail, 25400(a)(1) PC – Carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle, 3210 PC – Possession of a large capacity magazine, 11350 HS – Possession of a controlled substance, 11370.1 HS – Possession of a loaded firearm with controlled substances, 30315 PC – Possession of armor-piercing bullets, and 496 PC – Possession of stolen property