A 15-year-old Palm Springs boy faces felony charges for allegedly brandishing a firearm while robbing a case of beer from a gas station, the Palm Springs Police Department (PSPD) said on Facebook Feb. 6.
A 24-year-old man, believed to have driven the getaway vehicle, was apprehended, but the identity of a third outstanding suspect remains under investigation, according to PSPD.
In describing the crime, the department's Facebook press release said that two Hispanic males grabbed the beer and attempted to leave without paying. An employee tried to stop them and was assaulted.
"At one point, store employees tried to retrieve the case of beer," PSPD said in its report. "An employee was assaulted, and one suspect brandished a firearm and fired a shot in the air."
When Palm Springs police officers responded to a report of the robbery just before 1 a.m., they found that the suspects had fled the scene at the 3600 block of East Ramon Road with a third suspect who was the driver.
But PSPD sounded the alert for law enforcement agencies throughout the area to be on the watch for the suspects, and this shared information resulted in Desert Hot Springs Police (DHSP) locating the getaway car and successfully pulling it over.
Despite an attempt to flee on foot, two of the three suspects were apprehended at this time. The armed suspect was later identified as the 15-year-old from Palm Springs, who allegedly was found in possession of a loaded handgun, as well as live ammunition. PSPD said they apprehended the driver, 24-year-old Christopher Mendez, who was on formal probation.
According to PSPD, the 15-year-old suspect was transported to a juvenile facility and is facing multiple felony charges, including minor illegally in possession of live ammunition, minor in possession of a handgun, minor in possession of a loaded handgun, conspiracy to commit a crime and second-degree robbery.
Mendez was booked into the Indio Jail, where he is accused of felony probation violation, carrying a concealed dirk or dagger, conspiracy to commit a crime and second-degree robbery.
The department asks anyone with additional information to reach out to the PSPD Investigations Division at 760-323-8121. Alternatively, information can be reported anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 760-347-7867.