Riverside Robbery Suspect Booked, But OC Connection Still Under Investigation

RIVERSIDE (CBSLA.com) — A man captured by police after a pursuit ended in a fiery crash in Riverside has been booked on two counts of robbery Friday.

The man, whose name was not released, is suspected of robbing a Carl's Jr. Thursday night and a Pizza Hut, just a mile away, on July 20.

The pursuit started after police were called to a Carl's Jr. on Magnolia, where a man wearing a plaid flannel around his neck and sunglasses robbed the restaurant with a note to the cashier. Officers caught up with the two robbery suspect as they tried to make their getaway, and the chase ended in a crash that started a small brush fire.

One man was taken into custody at the scene of the crash, but a second remains at large.

The suspect in the Carl's Jr. robbery Thursday night bears a resemblance – both in appearance and M.O. – to the man wanted for as many as 20 robberies throughout Orange County.

Because of the ongoing Orange County investigations, the identity and booking photo of the man in Riverside police's custody has not been released. Police say detectives are still speaking to dozens of victims in those other robberies and they don't want to jeopardize those investigations.

Garden Grove police issued a statement Friday, acknowledging the arrest, but said "we will not be putting out any new information related to any possible connection between Riverside PD's robbery suspect and our robberies until our investigation is complete. We want to insure that our investigation is not tainted in any way that may hinder prosecution of a possible suspect."