5 Arrested After 2 Unrelated Robberies

Five males were arrested shortly after a restaurant and a gas station were robbed at gunpoint in two unrelated incidents that occurred within hours of each other Saturday night and early Sunday morning, San Diego police said.

During the first incident, two young men with a gun entered the Dairy Queen in the 8800 block of Towne Centre Drive on Saturday night. Two employees were robbed of their cash and jewelry and the restaurant money was taken. After the pair fled, they were pulled over by police as they drove south on Interstate 805 near La Jolla Village Drive.

Charged with three counts of armed robbery were Juan Alvarado, 18, of the 2800 block of Casey Street, and a juvenile, whose name was not released. Most of the stolen money and jewelry were recovered. The gun, however, was not found.

In the second incident, a man struck a gas station attendant with a gun and took money from the Mission Valley Chevron station in the 2200 block of Camino Del Rio North at 1:01 a.m. Sunday.

The California Highway Patrol apprehended a suspect and two alleged accomplices. Steven Houston, 25, address unknown, and Rich Dawson, 21, of Long Beach, were in the car with the armed man, who refused to tell police his name.

The three were stopped as they drove east on Interstate 8 at the intersection of Interstate 805. They were booked for armed robbery.