A 21-year-old Indio man was arrested with nearly an ounce of cocaine and a Coachella teenager was arrested for possessing an unserialized firearm after a robbery in Coachella on Thursday, authorities said.
After the robbery in the 50200 block of South Balboa Street, deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department tried to pull over at least one suspected robber when two teens, aged 16 and 17, fled from the car, the department said in a news release.
The teens, one of whom was armed with a handgun, were captured after “a short foot pursuit,” and a semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine and no serial number was found in a nearby backyard, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
The gun was “positively identified” as being the gun carried by the 17-year-old during the chase, and he was charged with being a minor in possession of a gun.
The 17-year-old was booked into Juvenile Hall in Indio, while the 16-year-old was released to his guardian.
The driver of the vehicle, Ezekiel Velez, 21, was arrested for allegedly possessing 26 grams of cocaine and was booked into John Benoit Detention Center in Indio for cocaine possession.
Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Deputy Piscatella at 760-863-8107. If you wish to remain anonymous, call Valley Crime Stoppers at 760-341-7867.