Tijuana municipal police arrested a 37-year-old man and his 17-year-old son on Saturday morning after the pair allegedly robbed a young man at gunpoint in the Ejido Maclovio Rojas area of eastern Tijuana.
The suspects, identified as Cristian “El Pelón” and Cristian Yahir, approached the victim in a black Ford Focus. One of the suspects threatened the victim with a pistol and stole 500 pesos (roughly $25 USD) before the pair fled the scene.
Quick Response Led to Arrest Nearby
Officers on patrol in the area responded after the victim flagged them down for help. Police intercepted the father and son a short distance away. A prop revolver was recovered at the time of the arrest.
Both suspects were turned over to Baja California’s Fiscalía General del Estado (FGE), the state attorney general’s office, for further investigation. Authorities say the elder suspect, Cristian “El Pelón,” is linked to multiple violent robberies in the Maclovio Rojas zone.
Fake Weapons a Growing Trend in Tijuana Robberies
The use of a prop firearm in this case fits a wider pattern in Tijuana. Former Tijuana police chief José Fernando Sánchez González has previously noted that robbers increasingly use replica or fake weapons. “They are not always real weapons, but are very similar. Any citizen will think it’s a real gun,” Sánchez González told Border Report in 2024. “Often, upon making arrests, we discover the guns were fake.”
Tijuana saw more than 1,800 reported armed robberies in 2023, a jump of over 13 percent from the 1,595 recorded the year before, according to state crime figures cited by the city’s public safety office.
Maclovio Rojas: A Peripheral Zone in Eastern Tijuana
Ejido Maclovio Rojas sits in eastern Tijuana, well outside the tourist corridor and the main border crossing areas. The zone is a mix of industrial sites and residential settlements, far from the Zona Centro and Playas de Tijuana neighborhoods more familiar to cross-border visitors. Police patrols in these peripheral areas tend to be less frequent than in central Tijuana.
The involvement of a minor in the robbery means Cristian Yahir’s case will likely be handled under Mexico’s juvenile justice system, which applies to suspects under 18.
This story was first reported by Punto Norte.