Robbery suspect nabbed within six hours of heist

A 19-year-old San Marcos man remained behind bars on Thursday, charged with aggravated robbery in connection with the holdup of a Stripes store on Tuesday. 

Elijah Zuriel Lopez is accused of entering the store at 2050 Interstate 35 South around 3:46 a.m. that day. According to an affidavit of probable cause for his arrest filed by SMPD investigator Patrick Aubry, Lopez went directly to the restroom upon entering the store. After a short period of time he emerged and approached the counter with a soda. 

“While (the cashier) was totaling out the actor’s order, the actor raised the shirt he was wearing which revealed what (the cashier) believed to be the handle of a black handgun protruding from his waistband,” the document reads. He demanded money and escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash, walking northbound on the West Access Road.

The casher was able to provide a full description of the suspect including tattoos on both his hand and his clothing,including a gray shirt with a logo that said “Smile More.” Store security cameras also captured several images of him.

About six hours later and 10 miles away, an officer spotted someone matching the description at the Spirits Pit Stop gas station at 1214 I-35 South. Though Lopez denied any knowledge of or involvement in the robbery, the officer noted he “was wearing the exact same clothing and had obvious tattoos on both his hands.

Lopez’s bond was set at $100,000 for the first-degree felony offense by Hays County Justice of the Peace Pct. 1, Place 2 Maggie Moreno.