Ceres police seek suspects in motel room armed robbery

Ceres police are looking for a robbery suspect in the area of Ceres and Modesto who is believed to be armed.

Carlos Cruz is 5 feet, 6 inches tall, about 350 pounds, with short black hair and brown eyes, according to the Ceres Police Department. He has several facial tattoos, including a large one of the state of California on the right side of his face, as well as tattoos above both eyebrows and upper lip.

On Aug. 10, Cruz and another, unknown suspect forced their way into a room at the Howard Johnson Express Inn on Herndon Road in Ceres, police say. The suspects tied up a male victim and put a sawed-off shotgun to his head while they robbed him of personal property.

Cruz and his accomplice then fled in the victim’s company truck, police say. The truck has been recovered but the weapon remains outstanding.

Anyone with information on Cruz or his whereabouts is asked to call Detective Ferreira at 209-538-5616, police dispatch at 209-538-5712 or the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 866-602-7463 or 209-521-4636.

This story was originally published August 19, 2015 at 9:58 AM with the headline "Ceres police seek suspects in motel room armed robbery."