A Salinas man sought by police for allegedly robbing a Morgan Hill check cashing store Friday morning was arrested later that day after employees at a car dealership in Livermore apprehended him.
Morgan Hill – A Salinas man sought by police for allegedly robbing a Morgan Hill check cashing store Friday morning was arrested later that day after employees at a car dealership in Livermore apprehended him.
Anthony Celso, 18, was booked into Alameda County Jail on charges of attempted robbery and possession of stolen property, according to Morgan Hill police Cmdr. David Swing.
Morgan Hill Police Officer Sara Viale, who was working an overtime shift, identified Celso as a suspect when she viewed a security tape from the check cashing store.
Viale recognized him as she had talked to him earlier in the week when he loitered in front of a liquor store. Officers believed he may have been trying to purchase alcohol.
Friday’s arrest came after a busy day for Celso. He allegedly stole a vehicle in Salinas at approximately 9:45am, then drove to Morgan Hill. His first stop, Swing said, was a check cashing store on Monterey Road. At approximately 11:30am, Celso was acting belligerent with the clerk, and the clerk went into a back room to call police.
Celso left the store empty-handed and drove to the Vineyard Town Center check cashing store. Swing said Celso demanded money from the store clerk and left with an undisclosed amount of cash.
Celso then left Morgan Hill, and MHPD issued an alert to other law enforcement agencies in the area with a description of Celso and the stolen vehicle he was driving. Celso was identified as a suspect by Viale because the officer recognized him from an earlier encounter at the liquor store where he was suspected of loitering.
The next stop for Celso was Livermore where, according to Livermore police, he went into the Livermore Jaguar Dealership with his hand concealed in a bag, simulating a gun. He allegedly confronted a dealership employee and demanded the keys to one of the Jaguars parked in front of the dealership, according to police.
Livermore police say the employee was afraid Celso was going to shoot him, but when Celso turned his head, the employee tackled him. He and other employees restrained Celso until police arrived and took him into custody at approximately 12:30pm.
Livermore police recovered the stolen vehicle and found cash in the vehicle and on Celso in an amount similar to the amount stolen from the Morgan Hill check cashing store, Swing said.
