A 19-year-old man who joined two juveniles in robbing an Eastvale convenience store was sentenced Thursday to seven years in state prison.
Ismael Cuevas of Pomona pleaded guilty earlier this month to armed robbery for the Feb. 27 holdup. In exchange for his admission, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office dropped two related felony charges.
Superior Court Judge David Gunn certified the terms of the plea agreement and imposed the sentence stipulated by the prosecution and defense.
Cuevas’ two co-defendants, identified only as a 15-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy, are being prosecuted in juvenile court.
According to sheriff’s officials, the robbery happened shortly before 4 a.m. on Feb. 27 at a 7-Eleven in the 6000 block of Hamner Avenue.
Cuevas and one of the boys stormed into the outlet armed with semiautomatic pistols, while the other boy remained outside, sheriff’s Sgt. Ernie Esquibel said.
After forcing the store clerk to hand over an undisclosed amount of cash from the register, the defendants fled on foot, he said. Witnesses called 911 while the holdup was in progress, and deputies reached the location within a couple of minutes, locating the 17-year-old walking near the store. He was taken into custody without incident.
The other boy eluded capture, while Cuevas jumped behind the wheel of a car and headed westbound into Los Angeles County, with deputies soon on his tail, according to the sergeant.
The chase was terminated when other drivers were put at risk. But the ensuing investigation led to the 15-year-old boy’s arrest in Alhambra the following day, and Cuevas’ arrest several weeks later in Pomona, where detectives seized three loaded handguns and an AK-47 rifle in his possession, according to Esquibel.