Three teenage boys have been arrested in connection with a string of armed robberies at San Diego convenience stores, police said Sunday.
Officers investigating the series pulled over a car on Friday and arrested two 16-year-old boys and a 14-year-old boy, said police Lt. Adam Sharki. The three are suspsected in at least six armed robberies in San Diego, Sharki said.
In addition, one of the teens was also sought in connection with robberies targeting delivery drivers, Sharki said. The lieutenant didn’t say how many driver robberies had occurred in that series.
Officers recovered three firearms during the traffic stop, including an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. At least one of the guns was unserialized, commonly known as a ghost gun.
Ghosts guns are do-it-yourself firearms assembled from parts that often come in prepackaged kits. Because the parts — like an unfinished gun frame — are not classified as guns, they have no serial numbers. Anyone can legally buy the parts.
All three suspects were booked into Juvenile Hall. Their names were not released.
Sharki said detectives are continuing to work on cases in the series, along with other local agencies.
Last week, San Diego police announced they were investigating a string of at least 10 “takeover-style” robberies. In those cases, a group of masked people — as many as five on one occasion — robbed stores in San Diego, typically during late evening hours.
Police have said robbers wearing hooded sweatshirts and masks entered the stores in groups ranging from one to five and brandish firearms while demanding money and products from clerks.
Anyone with information about the incidents were asked to call the Robbery Unit or they can call Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477 and remain anonymous.