Tijuana Municipal Police arrested a 28-year-old man on the night of April 20 after he allegedly robbed a grocery store at gunpoint in the Aguaje de la Tuna neighborhood, located in the San Antonio de los Buenos delegation on the city’s southern edge.
The suspect, identified as Luis Simón, entered the small store, pulled out a firearm, and demanded cash from the owner. He fled on foot with approximately 3,000 pesos (about $150 USD).
Quick Response Led to Arrest
Officers launched an immediate search based on the victim’s description of the suspect. Within minutes, they located Luis Simón on the Justo Sierra ramp, not far from the scene of the crime. He was still carrying the firearm used in the robbery.
Police detained him and turned him over to the Fiscalía General del Estado (FGE), Baja California’s state attorney general’s office, which will determine his legal status and decide on formal charges.
Armed Robberies Remain a Concern in Tijuana
The arrest comes as armed robberies continue to be a persistent problem in Tijuana. A January 2024 report from the city’s Secretary of Public Safety and Security showed violent armed robberies rose more than 13 percent year over year. State crime figures recorded more than 1,800 armed robberies in Tijuana in 2023, up from 1,595 in 2022.
Tijuana Police Chief José Fernando Sánchez González has previously noted that robbers increasingly use weapons to target both businesses and individuals. He cautioned that some weapons recovered during arrests turn out to be replicas, though victims have no way to tell the difference during an encounter.
San Antonio de los Buenos sits along the coast southwest of central Tijuana, a largely residential area far from the tourist zones near the border crossing and Avenida Revolución. Small grocery stores, known locally as tiendas de abarrotes, are common targets for armed robbery because they typically operate with cash and minimal security.
This incident was first reported by Punto Norte.