Shoplifting Turns to Robbery Charges
The Sonora Police Department arrested 22-year-old Noel Figuroa of Sonora for Robbery charges yesterday after assaulting employees to further his crime.
At around 7:00 pm, on Tuesday, April 28th, Our officers responded to a business in the 1000 block of Sanguinetti Road for a shoplifting call. The suspect had fled the scene before our arrival. A store employee reported that she recognized the male subject from previous shoplifting incidents, and recorded him with her phone. Officers were ultimately able to identify the subject as Noel Figueroa from those images.
The store employee described watching Figuroa take merchandise from the shelves to conceal on his person. Law enforcement was called, and a store employee locked the front door to prevent Figueroa from leaving, requesting he pay for the items. Figueroa grabbed the store employee’s hand that was covering the lock and began to twist her wrist, forcing her to unlock the door.
The responding officers checked the area but were unable to locate him. On April 29th, an off-duty Sonora PD Officer, being aware of Figueroa’s crime, spotted him pushing a bicycle towards a known homeless camp. On-duty officers responded and were able to take Figueroa into custody.
Because he used force to affect the crime, Figueroa’s charge was elevated to felony Robbery, making him ineligible for the $0 bail due to COVID-19. He is currently being held on a $50,000 bail.
