Man investigated in O.C. fast-food robberies is charged in Riverside hold-ups

A man who is being investigated in connection with a string of fast-food restaurant robberies across Orange County in July has been charged with two similar robberies in Riverside.

Jose Felipe Fernandez, 28, is facing two counts of robbery and one count of evading police, all felonies. He also faces possible sentencing enhancements involving use of a firearm, according to Riverside County Superior Court records.

Fernandez has pleaded not guilty to all charges, which stem from allegations that he robbed a Pizza Hut and a Carl’s Jr. in Riverside. Court records indicate Fernandez has two previous felony convictions but do not detail those charges.

Police departments in Orange County are still investigating whether Fernandez is connected to fast-food robberies in Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Orange, Santa Ana and Westminster in which a man with a handgun demanded cash and fled.

Riverside police arrested Fernandez on July 27 after receiving a report of an armed robbery at the Carl’s Jr. at 10010 Magnolia Ave.

Witnesses provided a description of the robber’s getaway car, which police saw three or four miles from the restaurant. Officers pursued the vehicle until it crashed and ignited a small brush fire.

Fernandez was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside with bail set at $1 million, according to jail records.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN