Man arrested after Anderson Safeway gas station robbery
ANDERSON — A man wanted in connection with the March 30 robbery of a Safeway gas station is in custody, after turning himself in to authorities Friday, May 3. Last March’s early-morning robbery happened in the 2500 block of Balls Ferry Road.
LEADING THE SCNS HEADLINES:
Officials at scene of pickup upside down and submerged in creek off 299E
Burney couple thwarts fuel theft from excavator parked near Britton Dam
BREAKING: Officials headed to rollover crash, car submerged, in Poison Lake
Tyler Ward, 22, of Cottonwood, turned himself into Shasta County Jail last Friday after authorities investigating last March’s robbery developed leads and gathered information that indicated Ward was possibly responsible for the robbery. Based on their investigation, officials issued a warrant for Ward’s arrest, Anderson PD later wrote in a social media update to their original robbery post.
In that post, APD officials included video that showed a shirtless and mask-wearing man – now purported to be Ward – enter the Safeway gas station with a knife around 5:17 a.m.
Tyler Ward was arrested May 3, after turning himself in for a warrant that Anderson PD issued for his arrest after determining he was responsible for robbing an Anderson gas station last March. APD photo
The knife-wielding suspect can be seen in the video demanding money from the cashier, who calmly cooperated with the man’s demands. After the employee provided Ward with all the money from the store’s cash register, the alleged suspect fled the store and ran behind the business, possibly getting into a mid-size pickup truck, APD had previously reported.
Although officers quickly arrived at the scene and searched the area for the suspect, he was not located that morning.
The investigation was turned over to Anderson PD’s Detective Unit, who recovered surveillance footage that eventually helped authorities identify Ward, at which time a warrant was issued for his arrest.
After turning himself in to Anderson PD, Ward “cooperated with investigators and admitted to his involvement in the robbery,” according to APD. Ward remains in custody at the Shasta County Jail and is scheduled to be arraigned this week.
Anyone with additional information about this investigation is encouraged to contact Anderson PD at (530) 378-6600 or SHASCOM at (530) 245-6526. Callers can refer to incident file number 19A004132 and can remain anonymous
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.