Officials search for rifle-wielding pair after Hemet robbery

November 22, 2018 Trevor Montgomery

HEMET — City and county law enforcement officers in the San Jacinto valley are searching for two rifle-wielding suspects who reportedly robbed a Hemet business last night, Wednesday, Nov. 21. The armed robbery happened at Auto Zone on the 3100 block of E. Florida Ave., between Columbia and Stanford streets.

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Hemet PD officers responded to the business about 9:45 p.m., after receiving reports of an armed robbery that happened around the business’s closing time for the evening.

Investigating officers learned two alleged robbers entered the business while armed with an “AR-15” style rifle and demanded money from the store employees, eventually fleeing with about $1,200.

Officers put out a general broadcast, notifying other area law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for two black males who were both last seen wearing black hoodies and blue bandanas over their faces to conceal their identities.

Both alleged suspects were about 20-years-old, with one standing about 6’1″ and the other about 5’7″.

Employees were unable to tell officers what direction the pair fled after leaving the store with the stolen cash.

Despite searching the area, officers and deputies were not immediately able to locate the two alleged suspects.

Anyone with information about this investigation or who knows the identity and whereabouts of the two alleged robbery suspects is encouraged to contact Hemet PD at (951) 765-2400. Callers can remain anonymous.

This is a developing story that will be updated as new information is available.

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Robert Carter/Public Safety Incident video

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, moved last year to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 15 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.