Salinas man guilty of robbing women and children at gunpoint

A Salinas man was found guilty of robbing five woman and children at gunpoint.

The first robbery took place near South Filice Street in Salinas on Dec. 22, 2017.

The suspect, identified by the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office as 33-year-old Juan Jesus Elias, approached a woman and tried to take her purse. The DA’s office said Elias put a gun to the woman’s stomach and told her he’d blow off her head if she didn’t hand over the purse. The woman gave Elias what he wanted and he got away.

The second robbery occurred on Williams Road in Salinas on Dec. 26, 2017. Elias approached a woman walking with her 10-year-old son and said he’d shoot her and her boy if she didn’t give up her purse. At that time, the woman began screaming and her son threw a water bottle at Elias. Elias took off running without the purse.

On Jan. 26, 2018, Elias found two more victims at a Salinas bus stop with their 2 and 4-year-old children. He approached them on E. Laurel and Sanborn Road and demanded the women give up their purses but one of them refused.

“Elias, pointing an object under his sweatshirt at the women, told the victim to give him the purse or he would shoot the children,” the DA’s Office said.

The woman gave Elias her purse and he took off in a black Mitsubishi sedan that was waiting for him nearby.

On Jan. 27, 2018, a woman and her 5 and 8-year-old sons were walking to the health clinic on North Sanborn Road when Elias grabbed the straps of the mothers purse.

The DA’s Office said, “He then put a gun to the 8-year-old’s forehead and threatened to shoot him if the mother did not hand over her purse. She handed it over without hesitation.”

Officers pulled Elias over in a black Mitsubishi sedan on Jan. 28, 2018. Various stolen items, including a purse, identification card, and cell phone were inside the car. Officers also located a gun on Elias’s girlfriend that matched the description provided by some of the victims.

Sentencing for Elias is set for Jan. 11, 2019. He faces up to 30 years and 8 months in prison.