Santa Maria man goes on criminal binge in Paso Robles

October 21, 2014

A Santa Maria man held up an elderly woman at gunpoint, rammed his car into her vehicle and smashed the window of another vehicle, prior to Paso Robles police arresting him Saturday afternoon.

Around 1:40 p.m., police received a report of an armed robbery near the ATM at a Rabobank in the 800 block of Spring Street. A 72-year-old woman said that the man confronted her at gunpoint and demanded her cell phone.

The woman, who was with her 8-year-old grandson at the time, told the suspect that she did not have a cell phone. Both parties then ran for their vehicles.

But, the suspect, later identified as 28-year-old Mario Alejandro Valenciavalencia, used his vehicle to box in the woman and her grandson. The two cars collided, and Valenciavalencia then drove away.

A few minutes later, Paso Robles police received a report of a man acting suspiciously in the 500 block of Spring Street. The suspect, also identified as Valenciavalencia, allegedly smashed the window of a parked car and acted erratically inside a check cashing business.

Officers then located Valenciavalencia and stopped his vehicle on 12^th Street. Police arrested him without incident and found a loaded handgun and a controlled substance in his vehicle.

Valenciavalencia is charged with attempted armed robbery, false imprisonment, elder abuse, child endangerment, vandalism, carrying a loaded firearm in a vehicle, possession of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance while in possession of a firearm. He remains in the San Luis Obispo County Jail on $100,000 bail.

Don’t miss breaking news stories, like CalCoastNews on Facebook.