Cop Shop

Two Phoenix restaurant employees were robbed and kidnapped early Saturday morning by five men wearing masks, police say.

Three of the suspects entered the Los Alamos restaurant, located near the intersection of 30th Street and Bell Road, at 9:15 a.m. and forced one of men into their tan Chevy Blazer, according to Phoenix police Lt. John Stallings.  The other victim was forced to take his own truck to his home while the suspect’s vehicle followed them.

The suspects then tied up both victims and burglarized the home, Stallings said.  After the suspects fled, the victims were able to free themselves and walk back to the restaurant. On the way, the victim found his stolen vehicle parked near the intersection of Cave Creek Road and Union Hills Drive, Stallings said.

A witness reportedly saw a suspect leave the stolen truck at the Phoenix intersection and immediately enter a white sedan, Stallings said.

The victims told police they did not recognize the masked men and could not identify their voices.  At this time, police are still struggling to find a detailed description of the suspects.

A man suspected threatening a Quik Trip employee and a passerby with a knife was arrested Wednesday night.

According to Mesa police reports, a Quik Trip employee saw Lee Eugene Helck loitering on a bike outside a Quik Trip convenience store parking lot, near McKellips Road and Country Club Drive, and asked him to leave.

Helck ignored the request according to police, and was asked to leave again when he pulled out a knife and threatened to kill the employee. According to reports another man approached and tried to help but was also threatened by Helck.

Helck fled the scene on his bike and was detained by police a short while later. Helck admitted to police he threatened the employee with a knife because he took offense after being asked to leave the parking lot.

Helck was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Jason Massad, Tribune

Pinal County Sheriff’s deputies recently recovered two stolen trailers full of stolen items this month.

The trailers, hooked to semi trucks, were returned to the owners. However, the contents didn’t belong to them and the stolen property is now being housed at the sheriff’s office in Florence.

The property consists of an assortment of items, including a drill, tools, a mattress and box springs, crutches, a boat propeller and minature motorcycles.

Photos of the property can be found here.

The Web site shows users how to contact the sheriff’s office if they believe any of the property belongs to them.

Two men were found guilty of several crimes related to a 2007 shooting at Arizona Mills Mall in Tempe, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s office.

Jesus Valdez Aguilar (pictured right) and Francisco Norzagaray (left) kidnapped a man on Dec. 15 after he refused to give the duo $900 once they lured him into the backseat of their vehicle, a release states.

The victim tried to jump from the moving vehicle but one of suspects grabbed his shirt from behind to pull him back inside. The victim jumped again but not before one of the men shot him in the back, according to the release.

The victim required numerous surgeries to correct the damage from the bullet.

Both men, who are in the country illegally, were found guilty of attempted first degree murder and kidnapping. Norzagaray, 26, was also found guilty of forgery. He has two prior convictions and has been deported once before. Aguilar, 22, has one prior conviction, according to the release.

A Mesa woman stabbed her male neighbor in the face and arm Tuesday evening but told police she blacked out and didn’t remember the incident, police say.

Grace Munguia, 27, was arrested after she fled the scene of the stabbing at 708 N. Country Club Drive and was booked for aggravated assault, according to Mesa police spokesman Det. Steve Berry.

Munguia admits that she and the man fought with each other at an apartment complex near 10:30 p.m., according to a police arrest report. She told police that she went into a “fit of rage” and blacked out. Munguia claimed she did not remember stabbing the man and confessed that she often blacks out when angry, Berry said.

The male victim received stitches on his face at Scottsdale Healthcare Osborne and was released the same evening.

A 52-year-old Tempe man has been missing since Friday afternoon and police believe he may be a danger to himself after talking about problems in his life to his family members.

Ian Baldwin was last seen at his Tempe home near the intersection of Kyrene and Warner roads between 4 and 6 p.m. Friday, according to Tempe police spokeswoman Katie McDevitt. Family members reported him missing and told police he drives a blue 1999 Toyota Sienna.

Baldwin was “incoherent” and “upset” while talking about problems in his life before he went missing, McDevitt said.

She also said Baldwin has a history of mental health issues.

Anyone with information about Baldwin is urged to call Tempe Police at (480) 350-8311.