Visalia police say Israel Sanchez, 32, is accused of taking a 55-inch television from a Walmart without paying and threatening employees with a knife when they tried to intervene. Police say he was later arrested after running across Highway 198.
Officers responded to the Walmart on East Noble Avenue Thursday evening after a reported armed robbery, according to KMPH, which reported the call came in around 7:20 p.m. A separate report from GV Wire put the start of the incident at about 7:22 p.m., a minor discrepancy in the timeline that police have not clarified. Either way, investigators say Sanchez put the television in a shopping cart and pushed it out of the store without paying, according to YourCentralValley.com.
Police allege that Walmart loss-prevention employees tried to stop Sanchez and that he displayed a knife and threatened them. Employees backed away, and Sanchez pushed the cart from the store, according to the police account.
Police Locate Suspect Near Highway 198
Officers later located Sanchez near a Highway 198 off-ramp, according to the station's report. Police say he ran across the freeway before officers apprehended and arrested him. The television was recovered and returned to Walmart, police said.
Sanchez was booked on suspicion of robbery, resisting arrest and possession of brass knuckles. Police also said he had six outstanding warrants when he was arrested.
What the Robbery Allegation Means
California Penal Code section 211 defines robbery as the felonious taking of personal property from another person or their immediate presence, against their will, through force or fear, according to California Legislative Information. Sanchez's booking on suspicion of robbery is an allegation, not a finding of guilt.
When a Theft Allegation Becomes Robbery
The legal distinction is not simply whether property was taken: robbery requires force or fear. According to the Judicial Council of California’s CALCRIM materials, force used as the basis for robbery must be more than incidental touching necessary to take the property. In this case, police allege that Sanchez threatened employees with a knife. They also said he was booked on suspicion of possessing brass knuckles, a separate allegation; the reports cited here do not describe an additional weapon enhancement.
