A number of individuals commenting on social media contend it took Manteca Police last week 15 minutes to respond to the armed robbery at the CVS pharmacy on North Main Street.
A check of dispatch logs shows Manteca Police actually were in the process of arresting the suspects within 4 minutes of CVS personnel calling 9-1-1 to report they had been robbed at gunpoint.
And while social media posters didn’t condemn the officers, they used the alleged 15 minute response time to argue the current council — including Gary Singh and incumbent Ben Cantu who are running for mayor on Nov. 8 — have hamstrung the department based on funding and therefore are threatening public safety in Manteca.
A recap of the department’s response to the CVS armed robbery call:
*10:45.57 – Suspicious call regarding suspicious subjects comes into MPD Dispatch from an alert citizen
*10:46.25 – Calls were made to MPD regarding two armed suspects with rifles climbing fencing at McParland School. This was determined to be a diversionary call to the robbery, but not until after the school was checked and secured by MPD officers.
*10:47.44 – Dispatch airs to units to be on the lookout for suspicious subjects (with descriptions) going to possibly 258 Lancaster Drive
*10:51.03 – Call from CVS that they have just been robbed and it was aired simultaneously to responding units
*10:51.26 – Units acknowledge
*10:51.45 – Unit radios that they are in the area
*10:52.21 – Unit radios that they have a visual on the vehicle going eastbound on Lancaster
*10:52.57 – Unit initiates pursuit of vehicle
*10:54.40 – Pursuit ends with crash and suspects run from vehicle
*11:00.35 – Primary unit for CVS robbery routed back to CVS
*11:05.40 – Primary unit on scene at CVS
The primary unit for the CVS robbery responded to the area of the termination point of the pursuit because officers had armed subjects running from the vehicle and this was the location the public was most endangered at that particular time.
Once the suspects were captured and there was no longer a viable risk to the public, the officer was routed back to CVS
It should be noted dispatch made sure no one at CVS had been injured.
More than a dozen bottles of liquid medication – much of it controlled substances – were recovered, along with three semi-automatic handguns, magazines, and a clown mask.
When the vehicle ultimately crashed trying to flee police, two suspects bailed on foot and were almost immediately captured along with the two individuals that stayed inside of the car.
The only legal adult in the group, 18-year-old Anthony Fernandez of Stockton, was arrested and booked into the San Joaquin County Jail on charges of robbery, conspiracy, carrying a loaded firearm in public, carrying an unregistered firearm, carrying a firearm with the intent to commit a felony, and other assorted charges. He is being held on $465,000 bail and is set to answer to the charges in court this week.
The three juveniles face charges as well.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
