The second robber in 11 hold-ups and attempted robberies in Hillcrest, Golden Hill and elsewhere pleaded guilty Monday to committing two hold-ups.
Joseph Andres Garcia, 20, has agreed to accept a 7-year term in state prison, said Deputy District Attorney Michael MacNeil. The sentencing for the getaway driver, Benjamin Hernandez, 24, is set for April 30.
San Diego Superior Court Judge Timothy Walsh set sentencing for Garcia for May 18. Both men remain in jail on $500,000 bail each.
Hernandez also pleaded guilty to committing two hold-ups in March. He faces up to six years in prison, but he could get a lesser term since he was the getaway driver.
The remaining nine robbery charges against both men were dismissed.
Hernandez was arrested Feb. 3, 2014 by San Diego Police after a witness wrote down the license plate number of the BMW used as the getaway car. It was traced to Hernandez’s home in National City. Garcia was arrested two days later.
The victims, 10 men and one woman, testified last April in the preliminary hearing. The spree took place all in one night on Feb. 2, 2014. Most victims were robbed at gunpoint, many of whom were pedestrians. Some said guns were held to their heads.
The first robbery happened about 6:50 p.m. in Ocean Beach, and other hold-ups occurred in Hillcrest, Golden Hill, Mission Beach, and the Midtown area. Two students were held up at UCSD in La Jolla. The wallets and cell phones were taken from each victim.
