A man was taken into custody in connection to two armed robberies in the Dos Palos area the Merced Sheriff’s Department said.

Merced County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team, Investigations Bureau, SRT, And SET Team served a Search warrant in the 31000 block of Panoche Road in Pacines, CA (San Benito County).

A joint investigation was conducted by the Merced Sheriff’s Department along with the Dos Palos Police Department.

The first armed robbery occurred on June 28, 2020, at about 1:21 am at the Circle K located in the 2500 block of Blossom Street in the City of Dos Palos. The second robbery occurred minutes later at approximately 1:45 am at the Chevron located at 15838 Paul Negra Road. During the investigation between both agencies, the detectives were able to determine that both robberies were committed by the same suspect and a search warrant was issued.

On July 9, 2020, at approximately 7:00 am, 22-year-old Omar Contreras Solis was arrested in connection with the two armed robberies.

Evidence located during the search warrant included the firearm believed to have been used during the crimes. Additionally, when Solis was arrested, he was wearing a face mask believed to be the same one used during the robberies. Solis was booked into the Merced County Jail on charges of armed robbery.

Sheriff Warnke and the Merced County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Dos Palos Police Department for their solid investigation into these crimes. This is just another example of how well our Merced County Law Enforcement Agencies come together and get criminals off the streets.