A SUSPECT has been arrested in armed robberies in Westminster (Shutterstock).

The investigation of two similar armed robberies of convenience stores in Westminster this month have led to the arrest of a suspect.

According to Commander Andy Stowers of the Westminster Police Department, Gabriel Sanchez, 31, of Westminster has been charged with robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, use of a firearm during a felony and illegal possession of an assault weapon.

Police say the robberies took place within a few days and a short distance of each other.
Each robbery — surveillance video showed – featured a suspect carrying an assault weapon covered by a towel and pointing it at the employee, demanding money.

Investigation led to the arrest of Garcia on Thursday for suspicion of robbery. Using search warrants after the arrest resulted in locating an AR-15-style assault rifle.

The suspect was then booked in Orange County Jail on the above charges.

But that might not be the end of the story. Police believe that those two incidents may have been connected to others and there are “potentially more robberies committed under similar circumstances.”

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Detective Figueroa at (714) 548-5783 or the WPD watch commander at (714) 548-5767.