RICHMOND (BCN) — Police arrested two men Wednesday after they allegedly stole a television from Target, punched a security guard and threatened to shoot the guard, a police sergeant said Thursday.
Police arrested Bryan Escalante, 21, and Ernesto Hernandez, 18, both of Richmond, on suspicion of robbery, assault, conspiracy and a gang enhancement, according to Richmond police Sgt. Nicole Abetkov.
Officers responded to a report of a robbery around 10:30 a.m. at a Target store, located at 4500 Macdonald Ave, Abetkov said.
Escalante and Hernandez were inside Target shopping for a television but walked out without paying, police said. When a uniformed security guard saw them leaving the store, he tried to stop the suspects but Escalante allegedly punched the guard in the face.
Escalante yelled to Hernandez to shoot the guard and Hernandez allegedly got out of a waiting car with a gun in his hand, police said.
An officer reviewed the video surveillance footage and broadcast a description of the suspects, who were known to other officers.
Within roughly 45 minutes of the robbery, Abetkov said the officers had located the two suspects in the 700 block of West Gertrude Avenue.
Witnesses from Target then positively identified the two men as the suspects, Abetkov said.
“That’s good old-fashioned police work,” she said.
Abetkov said police were not able to identify the driver of the car on Wednesday.