Teens rob Quincy retail store

Burglary is 38th since June, most suspects are minors

QUINCY — An 18-year-old man and a male juvenile were arrested early Sunday morning after they allegedly stole jewelry from the merchandise store Panaderia El Girasol 2 and attempted to flee the scene.

According to a Quincy Police Department press release, Hector Velasquez Hernandez of Quincy and a 14-year-old male juvenile were both arrested and found to be in possession of jewelry from the store.

Hernandez was booked into Grant County Jail on charges of burglary, theft, possession of burglary tools, possession of stolen property, malicious mischief and possession of dangerous weapons. His last known address was in Burien.

"He disappeared for a while, but he was formerly a Quincy resident," QPD Sgt. Randy Coleman said.

Hernandez, who has at least one previous felony conviction, was found to have four concealed "throwing stars" when police apprehended him, Coleman said. The concealed weapons charge, he said, is a gross misdemeanor.

The male juvenile suspect is a runaway from the Seattle area, and he was charged with burglary, possession of stolen property and possession of a burglary tool, Coleman said.

There have been 38 burglaries in Quincy since June of this year, Coleman said.

The majority of subjects apprehended so far in the

burglaries have been minors.

Many of those burglaries remain unsolved, he said.

"There have been a huge number of burglaries in the Quincy area," he said.

Monday's burglary started when the alleged suspects broke a small reinforced mesh window in a door for employees on the side of the building. Once inside, the suspects took what they could see before officers arrived in response to the store's alarm.

After short vehicle and foot pursuits, during which the suspects dumped most of the jewelry items, police eliminated all avenues of escape before the two alleged burglars gave up and were arrested.

The value of the property taken in the burglary is unknown. Representatives of Panaderia El Girasol 2 were unavailable by press time.