APD arrests man for string of armed robberies

Jan. 11, 2023

APD Robbery detectives arrested Brandon Sanchez and charged him today for a string of seven armed robberies and three robberies of fast-food restaurants and a sporting goods store since Jan. 1, 2023.

APD detectives worked with the U.S. Marshal Service to arrest Sanchez Tuesday afternoon at a motel in Northeast Albuquerque. He was wanted for a federal probation violation warrant with the underlying charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Detectives started tracking the robberies on Jan. 1, when employees at the Twisters, located at 2235 Wyoming Blvd., N.E., reported a man armed with a handgun handed them a note and verbally threatened to kill them if they did not hand over cash from the register.

After four more robberies, detectives used APD’s license plate readers to locate the vehicle that matched the description from each incident. They tracked down an auto burglary from Dec. 18, 2022, in which the offender fled in the same vehicle.

Detectives learned the identity of the suspect from a New Mexico State Police Officer who saw images detectives shared with law enforcement. The officer identified him as Brandon Sanchez. Detectives learned about his federal warrant and contacted the U.S. Marshal Service to help locate and arrest Sanchez.

Here is a list of robberies that detectives allege that Sanchez committed.

Jan. 1, 2023 (9:44 a.m.) – Twisters, 2235 Wyoming Blvd., N.E.

Jan. 1, 2023 – Starbucks, 2801 Eubank Blvd., N.E.

Jan. 1, 2023 (1:07 p.m.) – Subway, 4451 Osuna Rd., N.E.

Jan. 4, 2023 (10:51 a.m.) – Little Caesar’s, 6125 Montgomery Blvd., N.E.

Jan. 4, 2023 (10:56 a.m.) – Subway, 5400 San Mateo Blvd., N.E.

Jan. 7, 2023 (12:54 a.m.) – Subway, 1306 Gibson Blvd., S.E.

Jan. 8, 2023 (1:10 p.m.) – Little Caesar’s, 333 Montaño Rd., N.W.

Jan. 9, 2023 (9 a.m.) – Starbucks, 6828 San Mateo Blvd., N.E.

Jan. 9, 2023 (3:50 p.m.) – Big 5, 8102 Wyoming Blvd., N.E.

Jan. 9, 2023 (5:08 p.m.) – Domino’s, 5920 Holly Ave., N.E.