Police surround apartment building in Los Banos; one arrested

Law enforcement officers arrested a man in Los Banos on suspicion of robbery after authorities surrounded a downtown apartment building Tuesday.

Buddy Valentino Dustin, 25, was arrested on a warrant charging him with robbery in Mariposa County, police Sgt. Justin Melden confirmed. The Sacramento man has a record of grand theft in 2014 and probation violation in July, according to Merced County records.

Melden declined to comment on details of the robbery in Mariposa County, referring questions to authorities there. The Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

The robbery was reported around 8:45 a.m. Tuesday in the Mount Bullion area of Mariposa County. Deputies said several men entered a home armed with a shotgun and a handgun.

The thieves tied up the victims, including three children, and stole about 25 pounds of marijuana buds, cash and guns, deputies said Wednesday in a news release.

Dustin was identified as a suspect and Mariposa deputies issued an alert to neighboring communities, including Los Banos, where he was spotted several hours later.

Officers, Merced County sheriff’s deputies and agents with the Merced County anti-gang unit surrounded the apartments above the Lucky Strike Club in the 500 block of I Street in Los Banos.

Authorities were called to the scene after officers spotted a stolen vehicle about 12:30 p.m., Cmdr. Jason Hedden said.

Hedden said Los Banos police would continue to assist Mariposa deputies in the ongoing investigation.

Dustin was booked into the Mariposa County Jail on suspicion of robbery, kidnapping an burglary.

This story was originally published December 22, 2015 at 2:02 PM with the headline "Police surround apartment building in Los Banos; one arrested."