A 61-year-old man suspected of robbing a Lake Elsinore business and fleeing the state was apprehended in Yuma, Arizona, where he was awaiting extradition back to Riverside County, authorities said Friday.
George Cardenas of Yuma was arrested by Yuma Police Department officers Wednesday and booked into the Yuma County Detention Center on a fugitive arrest warrant stemming from the alleged armed robbery on Oct. 12.
Cardenas was expected to be returned to the county in the coming weeks.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Robert Thomas, on the afternoon of Oct. 12, the suspect allegedly used a handgun to hold up a convenience store in the 17600 block of Grand Avenue, near Perret Boulevard.
The clerk was not injured, and Cardenas fled with an undisclosed amount of cash, Thomas alleged.
He said that detectives identified him soon afterward and initiated a search that led to Yuma, where local law enforcement was notified and agreed to assist in Cardenas’ capture.
Background information on the suspect was unavailable.