E-mail Story
Print Friendly
Send E-mail
Reprint story
Monday, June 22, 2009
Acquaintances Reveal Habits of Robbery Suspects
By Juan Carlos Rodriguez
Copyright © 2009 Albuquerque Journal
Journal Staff Writer
Two suspects in a deadly robbery of a West Side Denny's left their mobile home park each morning "to look for work," they told acquaintances, and usually returned with lots of cash.Following the Saturday morning robbery at the restaurant at Coors and Iliff NW, in which a cook was killed, police interviewed several people who provided information about the daily habits of the two men, Marvin Lopez-Aguilar, 22, and Pablo Ortiz, 32. The informants told police there was a group of three men who left in the mornings together.
Ortiz
Lopez-Aguilar
Lopez-Aguilar and Ortiz were caught shortly after the robbery, and the almost-identical criminal complaints against them say a witness reported picking up another man who needed a ride near the Denny's. The witness said that man asked to be taken to the same mobile home park, then confessed to the witness that he was running from the police and had just shot someone.
The witness said the man changed his mind about being dropped off at the mobile home park after saying that there were guns in his trailer, and asked to be dropped off at a nearby McDonald's.
That man was not caught, and Albuquerque Police Department spokeswoman Nadine Hamby said Sunday afternoon that police were still looking for at least two suspects involved in the robbery.
Ortiz, who gave his address as the 1500 block of Tomasita SE, and Lopez-Aguilar, who gave his address as 1500 block of Vigil SW, told police they are from El Salvador, according to the complaints. Each man is facing one murder charge, one robbery charge, 40 kidnapping charges, five child abuse charges and one charge of tampering with evidence. Both are being held without bail at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center.
Ortiz was caught on foot near 98th and Avalon when police saw him "walking and dialing a cell phone and looking agitated," according to the complaints.
Police caught Lopez-Aguilar after they spotted a tan or gold Chevy Malibu, a car matching the description of one leaving the Denny's, entering the mobile home park. Police found a handgun, a rifle and a cash drawer in the car. The temporary license plate affixed to the car had been covered with thick tape.
Police had been on the lookout for a gang they believed was responsible for a string of robberies in Albuquerque dating to May 16.
According to the complaints, APD detectives saw a gold Chevy Malibu outside an Applebee's restaurant near Coors and Ouray NW on Wednesday, and a blue Chevy Lumina outside the same restaurant on Friday. The complaints said the car sat outside the restaurant on Friday for about 45 minutes, then left.
The same car was seen at the mobile home where Ortiz was arrested.
Terrifying moments
The Denny's was closed Sunday, while the Village Inn just to its south was bustling with Father's Day customers. A small memorial, with bouquets, candles and a sign expressing love for the female employee who died, was placed at the front of the restaurant. Customers kept arriving Sunday morning, perhaps not realizing what had happened the day before, as biohazard crews removed items from inside.
Fatima Zaragoza, a waitress, said the restaurant was silent during the robbery as customers cowered beneath their tables. All she could remember, she said, was the sound of a crying child.
"It made me think of my baby. I was so scared," she said.
Zaragoza said she was talking with another server near the restaurant's entrance on Saturday morning when as many as four men wearing ski masks stormed in and began pointing guns at staff and customers.
Zaragoza said that when they entered, the woman with whom she was talking gave her a little shove and ran away. When she was pushed, Zaragoza said the tray of drinks she was holding spilled onto the floor, and one of the men slipped and fell. She said that when he was getting up, he tried to maintain his balance and the grip on his gun at the same time, and ended up firing a shot that went toward the kitchen.
"I heard the gun and I screamed," Zaragoza said. "I just got on the ground, closed my eyes and started praying."
The shot hit the cook, who died at the scene. Police did not release her name Sunday or other details.
Zaragoza described the woman as a friend, said they enjoyed joking around and teasing each other, and that the victim was a reliable co-worker who was always on time and always came in early if needed.
"She always rode her bicycle to work," Zaragoza said. "She talked a lot about her dog."
Zaragoza said she was unsure how long the robbers were in the restaurant but said it all happened very quickly. She said they blocked the emergency exit to prevent anyone from escaping that way, and on the way out the front door, one of them fired another round into the ceiling.
"All the customers were under the tables," Zaragoza said. "No one said anything."
Zaragoza spent Sunday at home and with relatives, and she said she's not sure if she'll go back to work at Denny's.
"I'm worried it's going to happen again," she said. "I'm scared."
You also can send comments via our comment form
|
|
