Thread: Buckeye police recommend charges in 'zip tie' robberies

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... t1102.html

Buckeye police recommend charges in 'zip tie' robberies
Andrew Pentis and Elias C. Arnold
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 1, 2007 08:52 AM

Buckeye police have recommended charges against four men suspected of hitting a Buckeye convenience store in a series of armed robberies dubbed the "zip tie" robberies.

Police say the men netted $365,000 from seven robberies in Mesa, Phoenix and Buckeye. The nickname came from the plastic zip ties used to bind the people inside stores they robbed.

"They were very organized," said Detective Diana Tapia, a Mesa police spokeswoman.

Mesa, which had four robberies, arrested six suspects Oct. 21 after raiding residences in Mesa and Gilbert.

In August, members of the group allegedly hit the Buckeye convenience store Big K's, in the 100 block of East Monroe Avenue, in broad daylight.

Mesa police said the robberies had a similar modus operandi. The men maintained certain roles during each incident and would force customers to the back of the store and tie them up.

In one case, one of the men pointed a gun at an 11-year-old girl and tied her up. In another, one of the men beat a storeowner and fired four shots.

Avondale police are also investigating whether the Aug. 3 robbery of Sun Market, in the 11100 block of West Buckeye Road, could be related.

Mesa police reported the thieves always stole money from the stores and never the customers. Three of the Mesa robberies were at small groceries and one was at a 99-cent store.

Mesa Assistant Police Chief John Meza described the men as an "organized crime group." He said four of the six men are undocumented immigrants.
The men allegedly conducted their own surveillance and made minor purchases at the stores prior to robbing them. They never wore masks or disguised themselves, according to police.

Mesa organized an armed-robbery task force, made up of one sergeant and eight detectives to solve the crimes. Investigators worked 37 straight hours at one point, police said.

A seventh suspect was also arrested in suspicion of forgery charges but did not actively participate in the robberies.

Those arrested are Juan Mendez, 32; Kalib Jivran Mondragon, 21; Humberto Ochoa-Alvarado, 30; Juan Felipe Torres, 25; Javier Rodriguez Robledo, 26; and Miguel Mendez, 35.

Those facing charges in connection with the Buckeye robbery are Mondragon, Ochoa-Alvarado, Torres, and Robledo.

Why weren't charges filed? Why does it say charges were recommended? Is it because they were illegals?

We were seriously thinking of going back to Mesa for another extended stay - I think we will find elsewhere to go.

They had better get a handle on this kind of thing. If the Snow Birds feel it isn't safe in that area and go elsewhere to winter - they might as close up shop.

That town is a ghost town when the Snow Birds are gone. You can go to a restaurant and there will be as few as 3 tables full for lunch, no lines at grocery stores, not much traffic. When they return, the lines at restaurants are out the door and lines in the grocery stores are awful - traffic is bad.

All of that area derives a lot of their income from Snow Birds, not just Mesa, they need to wake up.