Merced man arrested in market robbery
A 32-year-old Merced man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of firing several shots during a robbery on Eighth Street, the Police Department reported in a news release.
Jose Irasaba was booked into the Merced County jail on suspicion of armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and possession of stolen property. He remained in custody Wednesday on $160,000 bail, according to booking records.
Police said Irasaba concealed his face behind a red bandanna and used a firearm to take about $240 in cash from the El Terab Market, 561 W. Eighth St. in Merced. The incident occurred just before 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, police said in the statement.
Officers, detectives and members of the department’s Disruptive Area Response Team searched the area, including a vacant home in the 900 block of N Street, but initially were not able to locate the robber, police said.
Police eventually identified Irasaba as a suspect and went to his home. Officers said they found $240 in cash, a .40-caliber handgun and a pile of burned clothes that matched the description of what the robber was wearing.
Officers said it was too early to know whether Irasaba could be named as a suspect in three other recent armed robberies in Merced.
Merced police are asking anyone with information to contact Detective Paul Johnson at (209) 385-6913 or (209) 385-7742, or the Merced Police Department Tipster Line at (209) 385-4725. The public can send information via anonymous text message to the Police Department by dialing “TIP411” (847411) and including the word “Comvip” as the keyword in the message.
This story was originally published April 1, 2015 at 8:54 PM with the headline "Merced man arrested in market robbery."