A 20-year-old and a 17-year-old suspected of committing an armed robbery in front of a Spring Valley pizzeria Friday afternoon were arrested after bolting into a nearby neighborhood and holing up in a home that someone had left unlocked.
Tejon Christopher Smith, 20, and a 17-year-old cohort allegedly brandished a handgun while forcibly stealing a person’s wallet and cellphone outside Giant Pizza King in the 1000 block of Elkelton Boulevard shortly before 1:30 p.m., according to sheriff’s officials.
Following the holdup, the pair allegedly ran off to the south, broke through a fence at a nearby residence, fled through two adjoining backyards and entered a house in the 700 block of Parkbrook Street through an unlocked door, Sgt. Scott Roller said.
A San Diego police helicopter crew had watched the suspects flee through the neighborhood from above, according to Roller.
“Deputies called into the residence, ordering the subjects to exit the home,” Roller said. “Both subjects exited the home and were taken into custody without further incident.”
Tejon and the teenage arrestee, whose name was withheld because he is a minor, were booked into county jail and juvenile hall on suspicion of robbery and other charges.
The gun used in the crime was not recovered, Roller said.
–City News Service
