2 Santa Maria men arrested after knifepoint robbery in SLO County
Two Santa Maria men have been arrested after an armed robbery in Nipomo, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.
About 10:30 p.m. Sunday, authorities received a call from a resident in the 1800 block of Louise Lane, reporting that they had been robbed at knifepoint outside a home, according to a news release.
The resident said the robber fled the scene, and they gave a description of the suspect and the vehicle, police said.
Less than 10 minutes after the call, police say they spotted a vehicle that matched the description in the area of Riverside Road and Division Street. The occupants tried to flee, but their vehicle got stuck in a field, police said — then they tried to escape on foot.
One of the men was immediately arrested, while the other was arrested "a short time later," thanks to help from a sheriff canine and California Highway Patrol's helicopter, the Sheriff's Office said.
The suspects, 20-year-old Wilson Ricardo Cortez and 18-year-old Sergio Arturo Flores, were taken to San Luis Obispo County Jail on suspicion of robbery and obstructing or resisting a police officer, according to jail records. Each is being held in lieu of $60,000 bail.
No one was injured during the robbery, and officials were able to recover the stolen property, the Sheriff's Office said.
The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 805-781-4550 or CrimeStoppers at 805-543-8477.
This story was originally published July 2, 2018 at 3:10 PM.