The Tucson Police Department arrested three men who were involved in a string of violent crimes throughout the city over the past couple of days.
On October 20, 2016, at approximately 11:30 p.m., two armed gunmen entered a residence in the 3200 block of E. Ft. Lowell. The suspects entered through an unlocked front door and pointed guns at the adult male resident who was home alone. One suspect struck the victim in the face with a handgun. The other suspect was armed with a rifle. The suspects forced the victim into his bedroom where they took prescription medication and miscellaneous property before fleeing from the residence in an unknown vehicle. The suspects were described as Hispanic males with bandanas around their faces.
On October 21, 2016, at approximately 1:00 a.m., two adult males were walking in the area of E. 1st Street and N. Stewart Ave when a dark colored vehicle pulled up next to them. Two Hispanic males exited the vehicle wearing bandanas around their faces. One of the bandanas was described as having a skull design on the front. One suspect was armed with a handgun and the other was armed with a rifle. The suspects struck both victims with their guns and demanded they empty their pockets. Cell phones and cash were taken from the victims. The suspects fled in the vehicle, which was possibly being driven by a third suspect. The vehicle was described as a dark, Chevrolet hatchback. One of the victims suffered significant injuries that had to be treated at the hospital. The other victim suffered minor injuries.
On October 21, 2016, at approximately 1:20 a.m., two Hispanic males entered a residence in the 200 block of N. 1st Ave. The suspects entered through an unlocked door and pointed guns at six occupants inside the home. The victims were moved around the home at gunpoint while the suspects took various pieces of property, including the victim’s cell phones. One suspect was armed with a handgun and the other was armed with a rifle.
Shortly after the last robbery, the victims used a smart phone app to track their cell phones and then shared that information with officers. The app showed the phones were in a specific area of an apartment complex located in the 400 block of E. Prince Rd. Officers began watching the property and located a dark colored Chevrolet hatchback in the parking lot. A subject was seen walking from a specific apartment to the car. The vehicle then drove out of the lot and officers made contact with the vehicle and driver on a traffic stop. The driver was wearing a bandana around his neck that had a skull design on the front. In plain view, officers could see a magazine from a handgun and what appeared to be victim property from the robbery on N. 1st Ave. The driver was immediately detained and a warrant was obtained for the vehicle and associated apartment.
The Tucson Police Department SWAT Unit served the warrant on the apartment and located several individuals inside. A handgun and rifle were found in the apartment, along with the victim’s prescription medication from the first armed robbery and property from the other two armed robberies.
Detectives from the Home Invasion Unit, Robbery Unit and Gang Unit all assisted with the investigation. After locating evidence and conducting interviews, detectives were able to determine that 19-year-old Jeremy Wilson and 20-year-old Saul Perez-Hernandez were involved in all three of the robberies. They also determined that 20-year-old Jaime Lopez was involved in at least two of the robberies. Wilson was also linked to a separate incident and charged with two extra counts of Aggravated Assault reference a shooting on October 19, 2016, in the 1600 block of N. Louis Ln. All three suspects were booked into the Pima County Jail.