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Two men facing charges for robbing Taft man with a knife

Taft Police said they arrested two suspects
Posted at 4:31 PM, May 18, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-18 19:37:42-04

Two men are facing multiple charges after robbing a Taft man, according to Taft Police.

Police said officers were called to the Chase Bank on Kern Street because a victim said he was being robbed.

According to the police report, the victim said he was sleeping in his bedroom when he heard loud noises in his living room. He then found a man, who officers said is suspected to be Edwardo Alcantar-Lopez, 24, in his living room. 

The report shows the victim told officers, when he asked the suspected robber what he was doing, the victim was grabbed by the neck by a second suspect, who police said is Jose De Jesus Mota, 21, by the neck before losing consciousness. The victim said when he regained consciousness he was blindfolded by a bandana and bound with duct tape. And the suspects were ransacking his residence and would kick and punch him to find out where his valuables were location.

The report also shows the two suspects took the victim to the bank to have the victim give the suspected thieves more money. The victim said he was threatened with a knife and was told his family would be killed if he didn't return with money. While inside the Chase Bank the victim told a bank employee he was being robbed and to call the police.

Police said, when they arrived the victim pointed out the two suspects. They said they caught Lopez running away from the bank and later used a warrant to arrest Mota.

Lopez and Mota were booked into the Taft City Jail and are each facing six charges: burglary, false imprison, robbery, kidnapping, carjacking and terrorist threats.