Riverside police responded to the store on the 3500 block of Tyler Street just after 6 a.m. for reports of an armed robbery in progress. Officers said a man armed with a handgun confronted store employees entering the business, forced them into an office and demanded money.
After the suspect was given an undisclosed amount of cash, he jumped into the passenger seat of a white Dodge Avenger in the parking lot and hopped onto the eastbound 91 Freeway, police said.
A Riverside police sergeant located the car traveling on the eastbound 10 Freeway and attempted a traffic stop, but the female driver would not pull over, authorities said. The car exited the freeway and a pursuit ensued on surface streets in Redlands. The chase ended about three minutes later when the car stopped on Barton Road just west of Alabama Street.
Authorities said the male suspect, identified as 44-year-old Eugene Davis Washington of Palmdale, threw a duffle bag into a trash bin and ran away for several yards before he was arrested. Officers said they found money and a loaded handgun in the bag. Washington faces charges of armed robbery, kidnap for robbery and others related to parole violations.
The driver, identified as 26-year-old Tumoi King of Mohave, was also arrested. She faces charges of armed robbery, kidnap for robbery and failure to yield.
Both suspects were booked into the Riverside County Jail.
Investigators believe Washington and King may have been involved in similar armed robberies and attempted robberies throughout Riverside and San Bernardino counties over the past several months.
Anyone with information about this case was asked to contact Detective Jim Simmons at (951) 353-7138 or Detective Jim Brandt at (951) 353-7137.
