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PROVO — Three men accused of robbing Utah County residents and businesses at gunpoint since the beginning of the year have been arrested.
But police say their crimes did not end there.
From behind bars, the trio then conspired to have the girlfriend of one of the men killed because they believed she was helping police, according to an affidavit filed in 4th District Court.
Brothers Alejandro Guadelupe Alcantar, 20, and Christian Alcantar, 18, both of Provo, along with Raul Azehel Zubia, 19, of Springville, were each booked into the Utah County Jail for investigation of multiple counts of aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, obstruction of justice and witness retaliation.
Police say the group can be linked to at least eight robberies throughout Utah County between Jan. 7 and April 4. They were looking at possible additional cases Friday. Detectives are also investigating whether additional people were involved.
The crime spree included robberies of fast food restaurants, a cellphone store and a couple of tanning salons. The suspects were allegedly armed during each robbery with either a real gun, an Airsoft gun or an aluminum baseball bat. In some cases they wore ski masks, and sometimes forced employees and patrons onto the floor or into a back room where there was a safe, said Provo police officer Jon Orgill.
During one robbery, a shot was fired but no one was hurt, he said.
The crime spree included: Little Ceasar's Pizza restaurant on Jan. 7 in Orem; Burger King on University Avenue in Provo on Feb. 6; Mexitalia Lunch and Dinner on Feb. 25 in Orem; Simple Mobile on March 16 in Orem; the Cosmopolitan Travel Mexican market business in Orem on March 16; and several people outside Cold Stone at University Mall in Orem. At some of the restaurants, in addition to the cash register being robbed, individuals were robbed of money, purses and iPods.
In one incident, Zubia spit on one of the victims and threw a glass beer bottle at him, a police affidavit states.
During the Simple Mobile robbery, an employee refused to give Alejandro Alcantar money, believing the holdup was a joke, according to an affidavit. The male employee then got into a fight with two of the men, punching them and getting punched in return.
Christian Alcantar was arrested March 29 after being caught spray-painting gang-related graffiti on the side of Suncrest Elementary School, police said.
On April 4, investigators believe Zubia and Alejandro Alcantar robbed businesses in Orem, Provo and Springville including Springville's Gold N' Glow Tanning and Waikiki Beach at 2255 N. University Parkway in Provo. During the Waikiki robbery, Alejandro Alcantar pointed a .380 automatic pistol in the face of one of the employees and then fired it into a wall after the employee batted the gun away, a police affidavit states.
An Orem business was also robbed that night and witnesses got a good description of the getaway vehicle, said Orgill. That information was shared with other officers, and just after midnight on April 5, an alert Provo officer spotted a car matching the description.
The vehicle was pulled over and the two occupants ran. Backup officers, including K-9s, were called and Alcantar and Zubia were arrested. Investigators obtained a search warrant for their vehicle and found evidence that linked them to a robbery at University Mall, Orgill said.
The Utah County Major Crimes Task Force was called and worked with several agencies to identify the third suspect and link their alleged crime spree. Two more search warrants were served at 358 N. 400 West #2, and 2092 S. California Ave. Evidence linking the group to the robberies, such as clothing and a gun, was collected from each location, Orgill said.
After his arrest, Alejandro Alcantar asked his girlfriend during a recorded jailhouse conversation to "recover the pistol that was at his residence along with the cash that was stolen from the robberies and conceal, alter, or otherwise destroy it," according to a police affidavit. Police recovered the pistol after they spoke to the girlfriend.
Later, Zubia told Alcantar that he had heard that his "'old lady' was talking."
On April 10, believing his girlfriend was now cooperating with police, "Alajendro Alcantar conspired with Christian Alcantar and Raul Zubia to have Alejandro Alcantar's girlfriend killed," a police report states. An inmate overheard the plan and reported it to officers.
In another recorded phone conversation from jail, Alejandro Alcantar said he was going to "get out of jail and take off," an affidavit states. Police believe that meant he was going to leave the area.
Friday, law enforcers from several agencies were being praised for their work bringing the alleged crime spree to an end. "This is a good example of different agencies working together," Orgill said.
Alejandro Alcantar appeared in court earlier this week in Provo on an unrelated 2011 charge of theft by receiving stolen property and possession of drug paraphernalia. Christian Alcantar was charged earlier this month in 4th District Court in a separate case with felony graffiti, failure to stop for law enforcement and misdemeanor drug possession.
He took a plea in abeyance on March 29 for unlawful possession of a dangerous weapon. He was also charged in Provo Justice Court in March with alcohol consumption by a minor, disorderly conduct and graffiti.
Email:preavy@ksl.com
