Porterville trio arrested after multi-county spree including robbery, carjacking
Two adults and a juvenile were arrested Wednesday after armed robberies and a carjacking across Visalia, Hanford and Lemoore in Tulare and Kings counties.
The suspects, a 16-year-old juvenile, 18-year-old Michael Ortiz, and 20-year-old Esteban Santanabaeza, all from Porterville, were booked into Kings County Jail.
A fourth suspect, believed to be the driver of the getaway vehicle, remains at large.
Visalia police said an armed robbery at a 7-Eleven on South Mooney Boulevard was reported at approximately 2:05 a.m. Wednesday. The store clerk told officers three masked people entered with handguns and demanded money.
The clerk was struck with a handgun during the robbery while the subjects stole cash from the register, police said. The clerk’s injuries were not life-threatening.
The robbers fled the store, got into a black vehicle driven by a fourth person and headed south on Mooney Boulevard.
According to police, the vehicle used in the Visalia 7-Eleven robbery had been stolen at about 1:23 a.m. during a carjacking by three armed suspects. Porterville police were investigating that incident.
Visalia officers were notified around 3:34 a.m. that Hanford police were pursuing the black vehicle involved in the 7-Eleven robbery. The pursuit ended when the vehicle crashed in Hanford. Officers recovered a firearm and took three suspects into custody.
Investigators said one of the suspects also committed an armed robbery in Lemoore prior to the pursuit.
Visalia officers went to Hanford and identified the suspects and the vehicle used in the Visalia robbery and related assault with a deadly weapon.
Anyone with information about the crimes is urged to contact the Visalia Police Department at 559-734-8117.
