Lemon Grove Man Arrested in Armed Robbery of Credit Union

Originally posted at 12:11 a.m. July 18.

A felon from Lemon Grove is behind bars on suspicion of carrying out a robbery last week at an El Cajon credit union office in which he allegedly terrified victims by threatening them with a pistol and firing it into the air during the heist.

Robbery 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.

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.

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

Authorities publicized surveillance photos of the thief, generating several 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.

The suspect 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. He was being held in on $155,000 bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Friday afternoon.