SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — An employee at a Kearny Mesa restaurant said she might have witnessed a group fleeing after robbing a nearby liquor store.
“I saw three guys running toward the back of the building," said Estrella Orozco, who works in La Fuente Mexican Food. "One of them stared at me in the eyes. They seemed very young.”
The restaurant is near Clown Market, which was among 17 stores robbed over the past weeks.
Authorities said they arrested three teenagers in connection with at least six armed robberies across San Diego County. Two 16-year-old boys and a 14-year-old boy were taken into custody during a traffic stop on Friday, according to the San Diego Police Department.
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“I have siblings that are that age," said Orozco. "I would be very upset if one of my siblings tried to do something like that? It’s scary.”
Police also recovered an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and two other firearms, one of which was a ghost gun.
"The robberies have occurred at convenience stores, typically in the late evening hours. The suspects have been described as young Black and Hispanic males wearing hooded sweatshirts and masks," police said in a press release Wednesday.
“This is a safe area. It looks so nice and everything but you never know what could happen. For them to be that young, it’s kind of sad.” Orozco said.
Eleven stores marked on this map were robbed over a two-hour period, from late Tuesday into early Wednesday morning. The locations span central San Diego, La Mesa, and North County.
"That time it was the liquor store. Maybe next time, who knows, it could be the restaurant," Orozco said.
All three suspects were booked into Juvenile Hall. "One of these suspects arrested was also connected to the recent delivery driver robbery series," police said.
Anyone with information regarding these incidents is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
