ST. GEORGE — The suspect involved in an early morning robbery of a convenience store in Mesquite, Nevada last week was apprehended shortly after the incident – thanks to a barrage of tips from the public that helped to identify and locate the person allegedly responsible.
Police arrested 19-year-old Jason Bolanos, of Mesquite, the suspect identified as the individual involved in the robbery of a convenience store during the early morning hours of Jan. 15. The station is located on the corner of West Mesquite Boulevard and Riverside Drive in Mesquite Nevada.
Mesquite Police Sgt. Wyatt Oliver said in a statement released late Thursday that officers located the suspect later that same day in the parking lot of an apartment complex — less than 12 hours after the robbery was reported to police.
At the time of the incident, officers were dispatched to the scene shortly after 3 a.m., when the clerk called 911 reporting the store was robbed after the suspect had fled.
While processing the scene, police obtained still photos captured from the store’s surveillance footage. As the investigation continued, the Mesquite Police Department issued a statement and released the still images that were posted on social media requesting the public’s help to identify and locate the suspect responsible for the crime.
Within minutes of the posting, emergency dispatch began receiving a deluge of calls that would ultimately provide officers with the name of the suspect, as well as other information that assisted in locating the man.
Bolanos was arrested Jan. 15 at 2:45 p.m. on a felony robbery with a deadly weapon charge and misdemeanor possession of marijuana. Oliver said due to the felony charge, the suspect was transported to the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas where he remains at the writing of this report.
This report is based on statements from police, emergency personnel or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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