Man arrested in takeover robbery at Ceres shoe store

Two women were assaulted and held at knife point during a takeover-style robbery at Payless ShoeSource in Ceres on Sunday night.

A customer who was leaving the store at 1520 Mitchell Road as the robber walked in with a knife called police just after 9 p.m.

Ceres police Sgt. Jose Berber described the events that transpired during the subsequent five minutes inside the store:

The suspect locked the front door of the store and ordered the two female employees to give him money from the cash register and their personal belongings. He also threatened to sexually assault them.

He slapped one of the women and groped the other after pulling her hair.

A panic alarm was triggered as officers surrounded the business.

One of the women escaped through the back door and told officers her co-worker was still inside.

The officers were preparing to enter the store when the second woman ran out the back door, followed by the suspect.

Guns drawn, officers ordered the suspect to drop his knife and apprehended him.

Officers searched the man and found on him a large amount of cash as well as the victims’ car keys, Berber said.

Anthony Noriega, 37, of Modesto, was arrested on suspicion of robbery, confinement during a robbery and sexual assault.

This story was originally published June 15, 2015 at 4:15 PM with the headline "Man arrested in takeover robbery at Ceres shoe store."