Merced man robs Walgreens, later arrested attempting to carjack vehicle with butter knife
A 36-year old Merced man was arrested on suspicion of robbing a Walgreens and later attempting to carjack a vehicle at a burger restaurant while armed with a butter knife on Friday, according to police.
Officers responded to a call of an attempted carjacking at Burger Time, located at 661 West 16th Street in Merced, at approximately 2:51 p.m. on Friday, according to a social media post by the Merced Police Department.
A woman was walking to her vehicle in the parking lot when she was approached by a suspect who was armed with a butter knife. The suspect demanded the keys to her vehicle, according to police.
Out of fear, the woman gave the suspect her keys. However, an onlooker brandished a firearm at the suspect and he quickly fled the area.
Another officer located the suspect nearby and arrested him. The suspect was identified as Nicholas Sell, 36, of Merced. Sell is on parole out of Fresno County.
Sell was also identified as a suspect in a robbery that took place at Walgreens, located at 3098 G St., at 10:36 a.m. on Friday.
The suspect fled the scene before police arrived.
Sell reportedly grabbed a hold of a woman standing in line at the cash register, pinned her to the ground and demanded money and cigarettes from store employees. Sell was armed with a handgun and threatening to shoot the woman if anyone called the police.
Store employees complied and gave the suspect an undisclosed amount of money and several packs of cigarettes, according to police.
The suspect fled on a beach cruiser bicycle. The suspect was described as a white male wearing a grey sweatshirt and dark-colored jeans.
Officers were able to obtain information from Sell to find clothing and the bicycle that he used in the Walgreens robbery.
Sell ultimately admitted to both crimes and said he was at Burger Time buying food with the money he stole from Walgreens, according to police.
Sell was booked into the Merced County Jail for attempted carjacking and robbery. His bond was set at $255,000, according to jail records.
Merced police are asking anyone with any information regarding these incidents to contact Detective Ray Valadez at 209-388-7829 or by email at valadezr@cityofmerced.org.
