Suspect in Circle K heist caught

Deepa Bharath

Orange County Sheriff’s deputies on Tuesday arrested a 32-year-old

Anaheim man suspected of a crime spree over the last week in which he

robbed several gas stations and convenience stores, including one in

Costa Mesa, officials said.

The robber was probably armed in each of these incidents, said Jim

Amormino, spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Dexter Brown -- a 6-foot-5 man weighing 250 pounds -- is accused

of robbing a Circle K store in the 3000 block of Bristol Street at

about 1 a.m. Tuesday, Costa Mesa Police Lt. Dale Birney said.

The robber walked around the store for a minute and then

approached the clerk, he said.

“He pulled out a handgun, pointed it at the clerk and demanded

money,” Birney said.

The robber then took the money and left in what was described as a

dark-colored van, he said. Amormino said deputies caught up with

Brown near his home at about 10:15 p.m. Tuesday after people who saw

his pictures on television news broadcasts tipped them off. Officers

arrested him after a brief foot pursuit, he said.

Sheriff’s deputies have connected Brown with 14 other robberies in

Orange County, Amormino said.

“Three of those, including the one in Costa Mesa, happened between

1 and 6:30 a.m. [Tuesday],” he said. Brown is accused of robbing

stores in Orange and Buena Park after the Costa Mesa incident.

The robber hit gas stations and convenience stores exclusively,

Amormino said. He hit several locations in Laguna Hills, Lake Forest

and Seal Beach, he said.

As of Wednesday afternoon, officials had also linked Brown to five

other robberies in Long Beach and one each in Walnut, Corona and

Downey, Amormino said.

No one was hurt in any of the heists, but that is probably because

none of the victims dared to resist the robber “because of his

massive size,” Amormino said.

“Some of the victims were 5-foot-2 or 5-foot-3,” he said.

Brown has “a long and extensive criminal record,” he said. “He

faces a potential third-strike conviction.”

Brown is being held in Orange County Jail in lieu of a $250,000

bail.

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at deepa.bharath@latimes.com.