Accused Lemon Grove Robbery Suspect in Court Friday

Originally posted at 10:07 a.m. Friday July 19.

A felon from Lemon Grove accused of carrying out a robbery at an El Cajon credit union, where he allegedly threatened victims with a pistol and fired it into the air, is scheduled to be arraigned Friday in East County.

Detectives and members of a regional fugitive task force arrested Richard Raul Bareno Jr., 35, without incident in a parking lot outside a Chula Vista fast-food restaurant about 10 p.m. Tuesday, according to police. 

He is in custody in lieu of $155,000 bail.

About 5 p.m. on July 9, a man with a large dark tattoo on his face entered a California Coast Credit Union branch in the 800 block of Jackman Street, fired a shot from a handgun he was carrying, jumped up onto a service counter, pointed the weapon at tellers and shouted at them to give him cash, police said.

The victims complied, and the bandit fled with an undisclosed amount of money, El Cajon Lt. Frank La Haye said. There were no injuries.

Authorities publicized surveillance photos of the robber, generating the tips that allowed investigators to track down the suspect, the lieutenant said.

At the time of his arrest, Bareno, who has a tattoo of a dollar sign on his right cheek, allegedly was carrying narcotics and a loaded gun. 

He was booked into San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of armed robbery, possession of a controlled substance and being a felon in possession of a firearm.