A 25-year-old man admitted committing several armed robberies in and near UC Irvine and in Fullerton and was immediately sentenced Wednesday to seven years and four months in prison.
Joshua David Benbrook pleaded guilty to four counts of robbery and one attempted robbery count for crimes that occurred over a several-month period. Two counts of kidnapping to commit robbery were dismissed, according to court records.
Several of the crimes occurred on May 23. At 6:20 p.m. that evening, a UC Irvine student was walking across the Watson Bridge on campus when the suspect approached, implied he had a gun and instructed the victim to walk to a nearby ATM to withdraw cash. Benbrook then stole the money and ran away, police said.
About 10 minutes later, he approached another victim outside a restaurant on the UCI campus and demanded money, but the victim retreated into the eatery and he ran away, police said.
About five minutes later, he pulled up in a car behind a disabled car at Culver and University drives, lured the victim back to his vehicle and then at gunpoint took the motorist’s wallet and cell phone, police said.
Benbrook robbed a convenience store in Fullerton in the 2700 block of West Orangethorpe Avenue about 2:50 a.m. on March 6, police said.
He was arrested while leaving his Irvine home on May 24.
—City News Service