UPDATE: Second suspect arrested in shooting death of 16-year-old Modesto boy
A second suspect was arrested Thursday in connection with the killing of 16-year-old Evan Robinson, who was shot near a Keyes taco truck last month.
The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department recently got warrants for the arrest of two suspects in Robinson’s death, 22-year-old Anthony Joseph Pando of Ceres and 19-year-old Ruben Perez of Keyes.
At about 3 p.m. Thursday afternoon, police in Medford, Oregon, contacted Pando during a traffic stop. He was booked into jail there on the warrant and on Thursday night was awaiting extradition to Stanislaus County, said Stanislaus County sheriff’s Sgt. Luke Schwartz.
Perez was arrested on Wednesday at the Day Reporting Center on Hackett Road, where he went to attend occupational preparedness courses as a term of his probation.
Perez is on probation for shooting someone when he was a minor. Schwartz said he’s served time for the offense but he didn’t have details about the shooting or when Perez had been released.
Perez was arrested at the Day Reporting Center without incident and booked on suspicion of murder. He remains in custody, with bail set at $6.5 million and a July 16 court date scheduled.
Following the May 2 shooting, which was at Seventh Street and Martha Avenue, witnesses reported seeing a silver car leave the scene.
Detectives are not saying which suspect is believed to be the shooter or if there are any outstanding suspects.
They also would not say how Perez and Pando were identified as suspects or if either of them lived at a home a few blocks from the shooting scene that detectives searched on May 7.
Robinson had been a football player with the Hughson Oilers Youth Football league. Dozens of people attended a candlelight vigil shortly after his death. Friends and family described the teenager as a good kid, a team leader and a great friend who’d go out of his way to help people.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Dave Hickman at 209-525-7042. Callers can also choose to remain anonymous by submitting their tips to Crime Stoppers at 209-521-4636. Tipsters can also submit tips at www.stancrimetips.org or by using the mobile app “P3” which may result in your eligibility for a cash reward.
This story was originally published June 18, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
