SAN DIEGO — Two robbery suspects accused of 11 hold-ups in Hillcrest, Golden Hill, Mission Beach, and elsewhere all on the same night have been ordered to stand trial.
Additional charges may be added after all the victims testified April 8 in the preliminary hearing of Joseph Andres Garcia, 19, and Benjamin Hernandez, 23, in San Diego Superior Court.
Deputy District Attorney Dan Link said most victims testified about being robbed at gunpoint and he may be adding assault with a deadly weapon charges against the pair. The robberies and attempted robberies all occurred on Feb. 2 to pedestrians, some of whom said guns were held to their heads.
San Diego Police arrested Hernandez first on Feb. 3 because a witness wrote down the getaway car’s license plate. It was traced to Hernandez’s home in National City. Garcia was arrested two days later.
The first robbery happened about 6:50 p.m. on Cape May Avenue near Cable Street in Ocean Beach and another followed on Newport Ave.
A hold-up was reported at Kettner Blvd. and Sassafras St. at 7:15 p.m. and another robbery at First Ave. and Washington St. occurred at 7:30 p.m. in Hillcrest.
Others occurred in the Midtown area, Mission Beach, and two students were held up at UCSD in La Jolla. The wallets and cell phones were taken from each victim.
Both Garcia and Hernandez have pleaded not guilty and will return to court April 22 to get a trial date set. Both remain in jail on $500,000 bail each.
