Suspected gun-wielding robber arrested by Ventura police

In a predawn arrest that involved multiple officers and a police dog, Ventura authorities on Monday took into custody a man suspected of robbing two convenience stores at gunpoint earlier this year.

The suspect, identified as 23-year-old Jonathan Sabalza, was the focus of several weeks of investigation by detectives, the Ventura Police Department said.

Police believe Sabalza pulled off two early morning robberies using a handgun this year.

On Jan. 30, the Chevron station at 3477 Telegraph Road, at Mills Road, was robbed around 12:30 a.m. by a man who brandished a handgun at the clerk, authorities said. 

On March 3, a clerk at the Circle K at 3506 E. Main St., near Mills and Highway 101, was robbed at gunpoint around 4:25 a.m., police said.

Around 6 a.m. Monday, detectives from the department’s major crimes, special enforcement and street crimes units, along with a K-9 unit, found Sabalza hiding in an apartment in the 6300 block of Whippoorwill Street in the Montalvo neighborhood, according to police.

After a brief standoff, he left the apartment and was arrested on suspicion of multiple felony offenses, authorities said. A search turned up a handgun authorities believe was used in both robberies, according to police.

Sabalza remained in Ventura County jail Monday night with bail set at $245,000, jail records showed.

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