Springs police arrest 3 after robbery, chase

Colorado Springs police arrested three men in connection with an armed robbery of a jewelry store Friday morning.

Obdulio Arvelo, 51, Julio Castro, 48, and Moises Garduno, 20, were arrested in connection with the robbery after a frantic chase across east-central Colorado Springs, police said.

Two of the men are suspected of following two employees into Bowies Gold & Diamonds, 2222 E. Pikes Peak Ave., at about 8:15 a.m., police said. After pistol-whipping one female employee and taking items from the shop, they fled east in a white Suburban.

The SUV was later found in the area of Tia Juana Street, between North Circle Drive and North Chelton Road.

It had crashed through several backyards, a fence, and into a house as the driver fled police, said Barbara Miller, spokeswoman for the Colorado Springs Police Department.

SWAT and K9 teams rapidly surrounded the small neighborhood, confining the suspects to a maze of alleyways between De Cortez and Mission streets.

Neighbor Mark Gritton watched as police officers cornered and arrested one man in front of 3009 De Cortez St., across the street from his apartment. He heard officers yell, "All the way down!" as they caught a man, and said he saw a K9 dog helping officers hold the man.

Gritton said he wasn't surprised that police quickly cornered the men.

"It's one of those (neighborhoods) where you could run, but can't hide," he said.

Police found jewelry inside the suspected getaway vehicle. The jewelry store reported several missing boxes of gold and diamonds shortly after the robbery, according to police radio traffic.

The employee who was pistol-whipped was treated at the shop and is doing well, Miller said. No one else was hurt during the robbery or the search.

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