Two Men Arrested, Possibly Robbed Temecula Shops

Two men who may be behind several robberies in Temecula were behind bars today.

Alfonso Daniel Hall, 21, and Josue Silva, 20, both of Moreno Valley, were arrested Thursday on suspicion of strong-arm robbery, using a firearm, conspiring to commit a felony and possessing stolen property.

At about 4:20 a.m., dispatchers got a call reporting an armed robbery at Best Western Suites, 24840 Elder St. in Moreno Valley.

A witness gave officers a description of the vehicle, and at about 7:25 a.m., they spotted it at a nearby fast-food restaurant, said Sgt. David Lelevier.

The officers stopped the vehicle and called the Moreno Valley Police Department’s Robbery Suppression Team. The team members realized one of the suspects matched the description of somebody who robbed the Best Western and other businesses throughout the county. Officers suspected the other man of being his accomplice in several of the robberies.

They arrested the pair and took them to headquarters for questioning. They also served two search warrants and found two handguns and other evidence linking them to at least 19 commercial robberies in the region.

These robberies include 11 in Moreno Valley. They include Angel’s Flower Shop, Check into Cash, A-1 Payday Advance, the Dollar Tree, Circle K, Susie’s Deals, Lakeshore Village Cleaners, Bank of America’s parking lot, Fashionista, Ayres Hotel and Best Western Hotel.

The rest include Valero Gas in Nuevo, Chevron Gas and Baskin Robbins in Riverside, AM/PM of Hemet and Knight’s Inn and Gold and Gems in San Bernardino.

They were booked today at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility and held on $500,000 bail.

Though these were the only robberies investigators accused the suspects of so far, more may turn up as the investigation continues, said sheriff’s Cpl. Courtney Donowho.

“The investigation is ongoing and expected to take some time, “ she said. “Investigators are still looking into the possibility of additional crimes with no confirmation at this time.”

Three robberies happened locally in the last two months. A Juice It Up! juice bar on Clinton Keith and Cosmo Prof, a professional beauty supply shop on Alta Murrieta Drive, were robbed in Murrieta, and a Subway sandwich shop on Winchester Road and a Supercuts on Murrieta Hot Springs Road were robbed in Temecula.

These robberies had much in common. In each case, a Hispanic man in his 20s or 30s standing about 5 foot 8 and weighing about 200 pounds wearing a black hooded sweater came in with his T-shirt pulled up over the lower half of his face. He pulled out a black handgun, forced the employees into the back room of the store, cleaned out the cash drawer and fled.

Standing about 5 foot 6 inches and weighing 195 pounds, Josue Silva matches the description.

Anybody with information about these incidents was asked to call
the Moreno Valley Police Department’s Robbery Suppression Team at
951-247-8700 or the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department at
1-800-955-2444.