A Salem teen faces charges alleging he robbed a man in June. He is the third person arrested for their role in what Salem police described as a string of robberies.
A Marion County grand jury on Sept. 13 indicted Reimundo Aispuro, 19, on two counts of second-degree robbery and unauthorized use of a vehicle in Marion County Circuit Court, according to court records.
Around 1:42 a.m. on June 17, a man reported to police he had been robbed by four males in a white car in the area of Northeast Lancaster Drive and Monroe Avenue, according to a Salem Police Department affidavit.
The man told police he had been walking back to his house when he saw a white car with four males inside, all wearing black with blue masks covering the lower parts of their faces.
He reported the group told him to empty his wallet and give up his wallet. The driver searched the victim’s pockets, giving the others the man’s wallet and beer.
A passenger then told the man to give him the coat he was wearing, the man told police, adding that the same passenger threatened to shoot him during the robbery and they all shouted for him to listen.
Police later checked traffic cameras and found their vehicle leaving the area, according to the affidavit.
Later that morning — after a string of robberies, a shooting and a car theft “all involving similar details” — police found a Ford Focus matching the car involved in most of the incidents in the area of Northeast Hawthorne Avenue and Northeast Wayside Terrace, the report said.
A Salem officer pulled up to several suspects standing around the car as well as a second vehicle stolen earlier that morning. When he turned on his lights and tried to stop them, they all fled on foot before police detained four nearby, including Matthew Gauntt and Giovany Cruz, both 18.
Officers found a stolen semi-automatic handgun in the path they ran through, the affidavit said.
Police later interviewed witnesses and reviewed files from cell phones belonging to people involved in the incidents. They found video showing members of the group, including Aispuro, stalking and robbing a “male juvenile,” who told police he did not want to press charges but recalled the incident, according to the report.
Aispuro and Cruz were both suspects in the robberies for months and were detained by police the day they occurred, but weren’t arrested and charged until recently.
Aispuro was arrested Sept. 14 and booked into Marion County Jail, where he was being held without bail as of Monday afternoon, the jail’s roster showed.
His charges also allege he drove a Toyota 4Runner without the owner’s consent.
Cruz was initially charged Sept. 7 with two counts of first-degree robbery and two counts of second-degree robbery in Marion County Circuit Court, according to court records.
On Sept. 13, a Marion County Grand Jury indicted Cruz on two counts of second-degree robbery, unlawful use of a vehicle, tampering with a witness and third-degree assault.
The charges allege Cruz robbed the same person as Aispuro, rode in the same 4Runner, tried to induce a potential witness to not testify and physically injured them while being aided by another person.
Aispuro’s arrest also comes about three months after Gauntt was arrested for shooting at a Salem home.
Gauntt was initially charged June 21 with attempted second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of recklessly endangering another person in Marion County Circuit Court, court records showed.
A Marion County grand jury on July 18 indicted him on additional charges of first-degree robbery, two counts of second-degree robbery and unlawful use of a weapon. He was also indicted on two additional counts of unlawful use of a weapon and three more counts of recklessly endangering another person.
In a separate case in Marion County Circuit Court, Gauntt was also indicted Sept. 13 on charges of second-degree robbery and first-degree criminal mischief.
The charges allege he robbed a woman June 16 and caused over $5,000 in damage to the 4Runner, court records showed.
PRIOR COVERAGE
Salem teen charged in two June robberies
Man who shot at Salem home charged with attempted murder Tuesday, police say
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.
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Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered criminal justice and housing for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.
