Modesto police arrest 'Super hero bandit' suspect | Crime

MODESTO, CA - Police arrested a man they said wore a "Captain America" mask while robbing two Modesto businesses earlier this week.

Aaron Gonzalez, 22, was arrested after what Modesto police Lt. Rick Armendariz said was a failed attempt to rob the Rogers Jewelers in northwest Modesto on Wednesday.  

Police said an employee of the jewelry store locked the front door after seeing "a heavyset male wearing a ski mask and armed with a baseball bat" headed toward the store.

The masked man drove away in a white Ford Focus after realizing the door was locked. The store employees notified police and provided a description of the car. Gonzalez was located near Dale Road and Braden Avenue and was arrested without incident.

Officers reported finding a ski mask, baseball bat and firearm inside Gonzalez's car. Armendariz said Gonzalez was also identified by the store employees as the man who tried to enter the business earlier in the day. 

He was also identified as a suspect in the store's Aug. 13 robbery, where he also wore a mask and used a baseball bat to smash a glass display counter to steal several items of jewelry, Armendariz said.

Police said they have linked Gonzalez to a recent crime spree that includes three other robberies: the August robbery of Rogers Jewelers and two robberies on Monday while wearing a Captain America mask to rob Check 'n Go and William Douglas Jewelers.

Armendariz said officers found additional evidence when searching Gonzalez's home, including a "Captain America" mask.

The suspect was booked into Stanislaus County Jail on suspicion of three counts of robbery and one count of attempted robbery.