A bloody fight between brothers leads Pasco police to a store robbery suspect

Cameron Probert
·2 min read
5

A bloody fight between two Pasco brothers led police to the suspect in a convenience store robbery.

Pasco police had been looking for Juan A. Mendez, 42, for five days after he threatened a clerk with a knife to get cash at the Quik Trip store on Sept. 22, according to court records.

His face was caught on a security camera outside the store, Pasco police said in a Facebook post.

Juan Mendez is accused of robbing a Pasco convenience store at knifepoint in late September.
Juan Mendez is accused of robbing a Pasco convenience store at knifepoint in late September.

Officers had linked him to the robbery, when they got a call about a fight between Juan Mendez and his brother, Hector, 37, at a Clark Street apartment five days later.

During the fight, Hector Mendez allegedly used a metal pipe or bat to hit his brother after being locked out of the house.

After they were released from a local hospital, the brothers were taken to the Franklin County jail and booked.

Now Juan Mendez is being held in lieu of $50,000 bail while he faces one count of first-degree robbery in Franklin County Superior Court.

Hector Mendez is in custody in lieu of $57,000 bail on charges of second-degree assault.

Quik Trip robbery

Juan Mendez allegedly was seen on camera outside the 10th Avenue gas station shortly before 6:20 a.m. wearing a black coat with white stripes on the sleeve.

Pasco police noted in their Facebook post that the suspect walked past stacks of beer being delivered to the store before going inside.

When he got inside, he lifted a bandanna over his face and approached the counter. The clerk told officers the man had a knife and demanded cash, according to court documents.

Juan Mendez is accused of robbing the Quik Trip on the morning of Sept. 22 at knifepoint.
Juan Mendez is accused of robbing the Quik Trip on the morning of Sept. 22 at knifepoint.

After the clerk handed over $700, Mendez allegedly ran east.

After police posted his picture on Facebook, a former co-worker identified Juan Mendez as the man in the pictures, according to court documents.

Fight in house

Police were called to the Clark Street apartment by reports of the Mendez brothers brawling about 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 27.

Police found the brothers in a bedroom. According to court documents, they were both “very blood and beat up.” They had bumps and scrapes on their face, bloody lips and bloody noses.

Officers soon learned that the brothers had been a fight the night before and Hector Mendez had left. Juan Mendez had locked him out, and ignored the knocking

When Juan’s mom let Hector Mendez inside, he allegedly went into Juan Mendez’s bedroom and started swinging. The fistfight continued until she split them up, court documents said.

Hector Mendez allegedly returned with what Juan Mendez described as a metal pipe hidden behind his back. He hit Juan Mendez in the head several times. After some struggling, Juan Mendez was able to get the pipe away.

The fight continued until police arrived.

Other family members said the metal pipe was a bat, according to court documents.