One of two men accused of robbing a group of people gathered in a Moreno Valley park on Halloween night in 2022 was held to answer Friday on all but one robbery charge.
Gary Arthur Gonzales, 23, of Moreno Valley was arrested on Oct. 31, 2022 alongside his alleged cohort, 36-year-old Gilbert Anthony Gonzales, also of Moreno Valley.
Gary Gonzales was charged with eight counts of robbery, and on Friday he was held to answer on all but one. Gonzales had a post-preliminary hearing arraignment scheduled for Sept. 1, according to court records.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Robert Martinez, the pair allegedly confronted eight people socializing under a gazebo in Celebration Park on Morgan Avenue about 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 31.
“One of the (suspects) pointed a firearm at the group, demanded their property and stole multiple items,” Martinez said.
He said the men fled the location immediately afterward, and the victims, who were not injured, called 911.
Patrol deputies scoured the area unsuccessfully in an effort to find the bandits.
Martinez said that detectives eventually developed leads pointing to Gonzalez and his friend as the alleged perpetrators.
They were taken into custody without incident in the 14000 block of Province Circle on Thursday, the sergeant said.
Gonzalez has no documented prior felony or misdemeanor convictions in Riverside County.