Man Arrested in Connection With Restaurant Robbery

A man was arrested Wednesday in connection with an armed robbery at an Oxnard restaurant, and police believe he may also have been involved in a similar holdup at an Ojai eatery.

Marcus Bovarie, 29, was taken into custody during a meeting with his parole officer in Oxnard, said Oxnard Police Sgt. Lee Wilcox.

He was jailed on suspicion of robbing the Outback Steakhouse on Lockwood Drive in Oxnard about 12:15 a.m. Sunday.

During the heist, two masked gunmen herded employees into a back room, tied them up and stole cash. The robbers fled in an employee’s car but abandoned it a few blocks from the restaurant.

Bovarie’s alleged accomplice has not been identified, Wilcox said.

Police believe the same men were responsible for an armed robbery Dec. 2 shortly before 11 p.m. at the Ranch House Restaurant in Ojai, Wilcox said.

In that case, employees were tied up and the robbers stole money from the cash register and employees.

In both incidents, the robberies occurred after closing time and the robbers wore dark clothing and masks and carried shotguns, Wilcox said.

Officers searched Bovarie’s house in Ojai on Wednesday afternoon and collected evidence, but the sergeant would not say what was found.

Bovarie was being held only on suspicion of the Oxnard robbery.

Meanwhile, Wilcox said authorities are also investigating a possible connection between two other armed robberies that occurred in the county during the past week.

Wilcox said a different pair of men, with no relationship to Bovarie and his accomplice, were responsible for a holdup early Tuesday at a Circle K in Ventura and a second heist Tuesday night at Red Hot Salon in Oxnard.

In both holdups, one of the robbers fired a shot from a handgun, ordered employees and customers to the floor and stole money from the victims or the business, authorities said.