A convicted felon accused of holding up a Norco convenience store and taking the clerks’ belongings, including car keys, was charged Wednesday with two counts of robbery.
Paul Henry Martinez, 48, of Los Angeles was arrested Monday after the alleged robbery in the 100 block of Hidden Valley Parkway.
Martinez, who’s being held in lieu of $80,000 bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside, is slated to make his initial court appearance Thursday at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
According to Riverside County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ronald Smith, the defendant went into the gas station convenience store just east of Interstate 15 at about 8:30 a.m. Monday and allegedly snatched several items, then confronted the two female employees, forcibly taking their personal possessions.
One victim’s car keys were taken in the process, Smith said.
He said that after the defendant walked outside, one of the clerks called 911, and a patrol deputy arrived within a couple of minutes.
The lawman encountered Martinez “trying to steal the wrong vehicle,” and when the defendant spotted the deputy, he bolted, according to the sergeant.
Martinez was apprehended after a brief chase. No one was injured.
According to court records, he has prior convictions in another jurisdiction, but the offenses were not listed.
>> Want to read more stories like this? Get our Free Daily Newsletters Here!