Undercover Police Bust Nabs Five
Informant Tips Authorities to Pre-Robbery Meeting Spot
On February 3 at 9:40 p.m., police waited for home-invasion robbery suspects to arrive at their meeting spot — the Ramada parking lot on Calle Real, according to a spokesperson from the Santa Barbara Police Department.
An undercover informant had tipped the police department off, disclosing that Ruben Cisneros Rios, 33; Michael Arthur Giron, 38; Sergio Francisco Loza, 30; Jose Hurtado, 33; and Ricardo Vega Figueroa, 36, had plans to congregate in the parking lot prior to a robbery attempt.
According to the SBPD, the intended victim was a man they knew who kept a sizable amount of costly jewelry in his home. Rather than leaving the parking lot to enact their master plan, the suspects left in handcuffs charged with conspiracy to commit robbery and other various charges. According to the SBPD, in Figueroa’s possession was a falsified government ID with the alias Luis Gustavo Flores.
Inside one of the suspect’s vehicles the police found a baton weapon, two empty duffle bags, two screwdrivers, and a knit cap.
