Teens hid gun in toddler’s room after Porterville robbery, police say

PORTERVILLE, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The three suspects who police say robbed a Porterville business on Sunday hid the gun they used in the robbery in a toddler’s bedroom, officers say.

Police say that around 3:37 a.m. officers were called to a business located in the 100 Block of South Main Street regarding a robbery that had just occurred.

Investigators say 19-year-old Alexis Sanchez and a 16-year-old, entered the business and contacted an employee. Sanchez and the 16-year-old were armed with a firearm and forced the employee to open the cash register.

After the employee provided the cash, police say Sanchez and the 16-year-old began striking the employee in the head numerous times with the firearm causing the firearm to fire a round which narrowly missed striking the employee in the head.

The employee suffered major head trauma as a result of the incident. Sanchez and the 16-year-old fled the business in a vehicle that was driven by 18-year-old Alexander Escalera.

Detectives say all three were arrested and evidence linking all three to the incident was located, including the firearm used during the robbery.  The firearm was found hidden in the bedroom of a three-year-old sibling in an attempt to conceal it. The firearm was determined to be an un-serialized handgun with a large-capacity magazine.

Sanchez and Escalera were arrested and booked into the South County Detention Facility and the 16-year-old was arrested and booked into the Juvenile Detention Facility, officials say.

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