Crime & Safety

DHS Men Arrested On Suspicion Of Palm Desert Robbery

A break in the case came when two men were arrested in West Covina on suspicion of robbing an AT&T store.

Following a break in one of several armed robberies in Palm Desert, two Desert Hot Springs men were behind bars today on suspicion of robbing a T-Mobile store at gunpoint, a sheriff’s sergeant said Saturday.

Julio Marcos Aguilar, 20, and Jose Cruz Gutierrez, 23, were arrested Wednesday, Feb. 23 in West Covina minutes after allegedly robbing an AT&T store there, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

Palm Desert detectives connected the crime in West Covina and the robbery of a T-Mobile store in Palm Desert on Feb. 15, said Sgt. Dave Florez of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, which contracts with Palm Desert for its policing services.

Find out what's happening in Palm Desertwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Investigators traveled to West Covina to interview the men on Thursday and served three search warrants the following day in the 19000 block of Tumbleweed Trail, the 66600 block of Estrella Drive and the 10700 block of Ambrosio Drive, all in Desert Hot Springs.

They also searched a home in the 68600 block of Tortuga Road in Cathedral City, Florez said.

Find out what's happening in Palm Desertwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Detectives found several cell phones believed to have been taken from the Palm Desert robbery and other evidence linking Aguilar and Gutierrez to the crime, the sergeant said.

Investigators are trying to determine whether the men are connected to other robberies in the area, he said.

The men were being held in lieu of $1 million at the West Covina Jail.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.