Milpitas: Trio of San Jose men arrested on suspicion of deli robbery

MILPITAS – Three San Jose men have been arrested on suspicion of armed robbery of a Milpitas deli last month, police said Tuesday.

Jerry’s Deli at 1491 S. Main St. was robbed about 8:20 p.m. on Nov. 20, according to Milpitas police Lt. John Torrez. The suspects, one of who was armed with a handgun, took an undisclosed amount of cash, tobacco products, alcohol and personal property from the clerk.

“Thankfully the clerk was not injured during the incident,” Torrez said in a news release.

Torrez said police created a crime bulletin using security camera footage from the deli and distributed it to other law enforcement agencies. A day after the armed robbery, San Jose police identified one of the suspects as Benjamin Mendez Jr., 18, of San Jose.

On Nov. 22, Milpitas police detectives arrested Mendez in Los Gatos in connection with the armed robbery as well as an unrelated $15,000 warrant for a hit-and-run collision, Torrez said. Mendez was booked into Santa Clara County jail on a robbery charge, the hit-and-run warrant and a $60,000 warrant for an attempted robbery in San Jose.

Torrez said the Milpitas police SWAT team also served a search warrant at Mendez’s home.

Detectives went on to identify the other suspects in the armed robbery as 18-year-old Jose Rosales-Salas and 19-year-old Christian Alexander Muniz, both of San Jose, Torrez said.

San Jose police arrested the suspects separately in San Jose on Nov. 26. They were interviewed by detectives and booked into jail on robbery charges and charges related to a San Jose police investigation.

The trio remains in custody – Mendez on $140,000 bail, Muniz on $210,000 bail and Rosales-Salas on $300,000 bail – and is set to appear in court on Dec. 19, according to online jail records.

Anyone with information about the armed robbery can contact the Milpitas Police Department at 408-586-2400. Those wishing to remain anonymous can leave a tip at 408-586-2500 or www.ci.milpitas.ca.gov/crimetip.

Share this: Print

View more on The Mercury News