Santa Ana : Robbery Suspect Shot, 2 Others Arrested

A Santa Ana police officer shot and wounded a robbery suspect in the leg at about 2:30 a.m. Thursday, hours after three men held up the Bobkin Bar at 2521 S. Main Street and fled with $150.

The wounded man was identified as Ramon Soto, 20, of 712 1/2 E. 5th Street in Santa Ana, said police spokeswoman Maureen Thomas. He was treated at Western Medical Center, Thomas said, and then transferred to County Jail. He was booked on suspicion of robbery.

Thomas declined to release the name of the officer involved in the shooting.

The incident began when three men walked into the bar at 11:15 p.m. Wednesday and stole $150, Thomas said. Police investigators who had been called to the scene found an AK-47 rifle that was apparently used during the robbery and obtained the address of one of the suspects, Thomas said.

They went to the address, 219 E. Central St. in Santa Ana, and met Soto at the driveway, she said. Thomas said Soto began fleeing from police officers.

“Officers told him to stop, but he fled on foot, and they continued asking him to stop,” Thomas said. “One of our officers fired one shot from his shotgun. It struck the suspect in the leg.”

She said no other shots were fired, and no one else was injured.

Two other suspects were arrested at the same address. Thomas declined to immediately release their names, saying that “it would hamper an ongoing investigation.”