FBI agents used social media accounts and surveillance video to arrest several men following a string of convenience store robberies in Apex, Cary and Durham.
Three of the robberies occurred Jan. 23 at the following locations:
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- Family Fare, 3705 N. Duke St., Durham
- Family Fare, 1815 Hillandale Road, Durham
- Circle K, 705 E. Williams St., Apex
Subsequent robberies occurred Jan. 30 at the Han-Dee Hugo at 2703 N.C. Highway 55 in Cary and Feb. 1 at La Costena Market at 106 S. Guthrie Ave. in Durham.
According to a criminal complaint, on Jan. 23 around 5:15 a.m., three men entered the Family Fare on N. Duke Street. Surveillance video showed one man, later identified as Jose Bonilla, 20, of Durham, pointing a gun at the store clerk while a second man, identified as Angel Portillo-Romero, was seen stealing cash from the register.
A third suspect identified as Jose Cartagena-Juarez, was shown walking our of the store with cases of beer. The three men took approximately $320 from the register, cigarettes and other items, the complaint states. They were seen getting inside a Honda Accord getaway car with a fourth suspect identified as Michael Velasquez.
Less than 30 minutes later, around 5:30 a.m., three men wearing the same clothing were seen entering the Family Fare on Hillandale Road. The complaint states Bonilla fired a pistol in the wall in "an attempt to intimidate the clerk."
The complaint accuses Portillo-Romero and Bonilla of stealing cash, stating Velasquez was seen "patting down a female customer" trapped in the store before taking food and beverage items.
Approximately $150 was stolen from the store.
Around 7:50 a.m., surveillance video showed the same men entering the Circle K in Apex. According to the complaint, Portillo-Romero and Bonilla waited until a store clerk opened the register for a transaction then forced their way behind the counter while pointing guns at two clerks.
Audio from the surveillance footage recorded one of the suspects saying, "Don't do anything stupid...give me the money," and "Anything stupid you all do will cost you your life!"
The complaint states $308 was stolen from the store, and the suspects left yelling at incoming customers.
An Apex police officer who wasn't in uniform noticed the commotion, returned to his car to call in the burglary and attempted to follow the suspects, who had already fled the scene.
A home's security camera also captured images of the Honda Accord leaving the scene.
Police identified Bonilla the same day when they discovered his Instagram account, which showed a photo of a man in clothing matching the surveillance video from the stores.
Several days later, on Jan. 30, Bonilla was again captured on surveillance video, this time at a Han-Dee Hugo store in Cary. The video showed Bonilla pointing his gun at a clerk as Portillo-Romero "went behind the counter, swept the clerk aside and began taking cash" from the register.
According to the complaint, the men began arguing with the clerk, and Bonilla pointed the gun at the clerk before firing a round into the back wall and cigarette display. Potato chips, cigarettes and $55 in cash were all taken from the store.
The complaint states the men got inside a Dodge Ram truck and fled the scene, speeding over 100 mph. A deputy pursued the truck but, unaware of the crime, ended the chase.
Detectives connected the crimes using the surveillance videos.
On Jan. 31, the Dodge Ram was spotted in Durham, and Bonilla was seen exiting the truck wearing the same clothes he wore during the Cary robbery.
On Feb. 1, the owner of La Costena Market saw the same truck on his store's security cameras. Video shows two men entering the store, firing a weapon and demanding money before getting back inside the truck. Approximately $600 was stolen.
On Feb. 2, Bonilla and the driver of the truck, Kevin Lara-Hernandez, were arrested after a lengthy police chase in Durham. The Dodge Ram was seized, and police used a search warrant to search the truck, finding a pistol, a cash drawer from a register and shotgun shells.
Detectives searched Bonilla's iPhone and discovered he was in communication with Velasquez, who was identified using a Facebook account. In an interview after his arrest, Bonilla helped agents identify Juarez and Velasquez, who are cousins.
Detectives also identified Juarez connecting photos posted to an Instagram account with a WRAL News story from 2016. Juarez was found to be affiliated with the "Sur-13" gang, the complaint says.
Portillo-Romero was arrested on Feb. 3 after a man reported a bicycle theft in Franklinton. A man found hiding in the woods was identified as Portillo-Romero using a fingerprint scan. According to the complaint, investigators showed Portillo-Romero surveillance images from the robberies, and "he smiled at the agents and laughed."
The men are all in custody and facing federal charges.