The Fugitive: Ernesto Vicente Armenta, 18
When and Where: Feb. 8, 2007, at East Golf Links and South Kolb roads.
Investigators: Ruben Rosales of the Pima County Adult Probation Warrants Unit.
Summary: Armenta — who was 16 at the time of the offense — walked up to a 64-year-old woman who was putting groceries in her car and asked her to give him her purse, according to court documents.
When the woman refused, Armenta pulled out a handgun and pointed it at her chest, court documents state.
He reached into her car, took her purse and ran away.
Three witnesses in a car followed him and flagged down an officer who was in the area. Armenta was taken into custody and admitted to robbing the woman, court documents say.
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He denied pointing the gun at the victim.
The gun and purse were found along the path that Armenta took, documents said. The woman's purse was returned.
Armenta said he committed the robbery to get money to buy his girlfriend a Valentine's Day present.
"It was wrong but I was thinking fast money," he said.
He went on to say that he bought the gun from a friend of his half-brother but never intended to harm anyone because the gun was not loaded and didn't work due to a broken hammer.
The Latest Information: Armenta was arrested and charged as an adult. He pleaded guilty to one count of armed robbery and was sentenced to 180 days in the Pima County jail with credit for 95 days already served.
He was also ordered to serve three years of intensive probation.
In January, an order was issued to revoke Armenta's probation for a number of violations, which included changing his address without notifying authorities, using marijuana, failing to report to his probation officer and failing to follow his probation schedule.
Armenta is 5 feet, 8 inches tall, weighs 190 pounds and has brown hair and brown eyes.
How You Can Help: Call 88-CRIME, the anonymous tip line of the Pima County Attorney's Office.
— Alexis Huicochea
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