Police arrested three men Friday in connection with a series of recent gas station robberies in Barstow. Two of the men were also being sought on warrants stemming from an attempted murder case, authorities said.
The suspects were arrested shortly after midnight following an armed robbery at a gas station in the 1400 block of East Main Street, according to the Barstow Police Department. They were spotted fleeing from the scene "at a high rate of speed," police said in a written statement.
Officers pulled the car over. The driver and one passenger remained in the car, while a second passenger ran away.
Officers arrested the fleeing suspect following a short foot chase, according to the agency. He was identified as Albert Dmarcus Hawkins of Barstow, according to police and San Bernardino County booking records.
The driver, 29-year-old Lucero Vaca of Barstow, and passenger Julian Smith, 20, of Barstow were also arrested.
Detectives said that Hawkins was also a suspect in two previous armed gas station robberies. Those alleged crimes took place April 9 in the 400 block of Armory Road and April 8 in the 500 block of Rimrock Road, according to the statement.
The same white Mitsubishi Outlander SUV was believed to have been involved in all three crimes, investigators said.
Additionally, Hawkins and Smith had arrest warrants related to an attempted murder case, according to police and county records. Further details regarding the alleged attempted murder were not available Monday afternoon.
Hawkins faces charges including three counts of robbery, one count of attempted murder, one count of attempted robbery, one count of grand theft and one count of criminal conspiracy, according to San Bernardino County Superior Court records.
Smith was being held on charged of attempted murder and attempted robbery, records show.
Hawkins and Smith were both scheduled to make appearances Tuesday in the Victorville branch of San Bernardino County Superior Court. Both were being held without bail.
Vaca was booked on suspicion of robbery and criminal conspiracy, records show. He was released from custody Sunday pending legal proceedings after posting bail.
The investigation was ongoing. Anyone with information was urged to contact Barstow police Detective Andrew Hollister at (760) 255-5189, or via email at ahollister@barstowca.org. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to We-Tip at (800) 782-7463.
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