Two men arrested after six masked men steal beer from Santa Cruz 7-11

The Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office says it has arrested two men in connection with an armed robbery in November at a 7-Eleven in Santa Cruz.

Investigators say six men walked into the 7-Eleven store on Soquel Drive at 3:30am on November 16, 2014.

The suspects, caught on store surveillance, entered the store wearing dark clothing and hoods covering their faces. Investigators say one suspect, wielding a baseball bat, chased the clerk to the rear of the store where the clerk was able to secure himself within a storage room and call 911.

Another suspect was seen carrying a gun in his waistband during the incident.

Sheriff’s deputies say the suspects proceeded to raid the beverage cooler and fled with approximately 10 cases of beer.

The suspect with the baseball bat appears to smash a pastry cabinet full of donuts before all the suspects left the store.

Surveillance also shows the suspects load the beer into a black SUV and a black compact car before driving away.

Less than a month later, Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s detectives identified and arrested 19-year-old Cristian Melgar from Salinas for the robbery. Melgar was booked into the Santa Cruz County jail and his bail was set at $50,000.

Then, on Wednesday, detectives arrested 19-year-old Scotts Valley resident, Anthony Deponzi at his home for robbery and participating in a criminal street gang. Deponzi was booked into the Santa Cruz County jail and his bail was set at $100,000.

Detectives also found physical evidence, including clothing worn by the suspects, as well as a baseball bat matching the baseball bat seen in the surveillance footage.

The investigation is still ongoing. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office is requesting that anyone with information regarding the robbery or the identity of the additional suspects to please contact sheriff’s office dispatch at (831) 471-1121.