Juice Bar Burglar Arrested Over Weekend
Mission Hills. Public interest in the Juice Bar Burglar led to a quick arrest of a Granada Hills man, Saturday, in the city of San Fernando.
The owners of Raspado Xpress shared the media reports of the stores’ burglaries on their social media pages, and that led to at least one person sighting a man with the odd forearm tattoo.
“His tattoo was his undoing,” said Lt. Paul Vernon, commanding officer of LAPD’s Mission Detective Division. “We just needed to get the word and the picture out, and he was done as the Juice Bar Burglar.”
A tipster saw the man near a Vallarta market Saturday afternoon, and police later tracked him down inside an underground gambling den in the city of San Fernando. Detectives identified the man as Michael Silvas Martinez, 46, who has multiple felony arrests and two felony convictions.
Martinez was arrested wearing the same camouflage shorts that he wore in one of the burglaries.
“We have poured over other videos of recent crimes, and we think we have connected him to at least three more burglaries,” Lt. Vernon added. “Most people outside law enforcement don’t realize just how many crimes a single person can commit in a short spree. Given the one crime in Panorama City, and the two in Pacoima in just a week, and the fact he lives in Granada Hills and was caught in San Fernando, I would expect that he’s responsible for a wide swath of crime across the north San Fernando Valley.”
Martinez was booked for Commercial Burglary and his bail was set at $60,000.
Anyone with information on this crime is urged to call Det. Samer Issa, Mission Burglary detectives, at (818) 838-9977. Anonymous tips can be called into Crimestoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477), or by texting 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone. All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.” Online tips may be placed at www.LAPDOnline.org, click on “webtips” and follow the prompts.
# # # # #
