Fresno County Sheriff’s deputies have arrested 29-year-old Jose Efren Ramirez and booked him into the Fresno County Jail on a charge of armed robbery.
Ramirez also had an outstanding warrant for a case of battery on a peace officer.
Around 12:15 am Monday, Ramirez walked into Montana’s Sports Bar located at 3368 W. Mt. Whitney Ave. in Riverdale. He asked folks inside if they had a cigarette lighter. No one was able to help him, so he walked out the door. About 10 seconds after leaving, Ramirez walked back inside and immediately jumped over the bar counter and started yelling at the female bartender to open the register. Ramirez made the demand while holding a knife with a 3 inch – 4 inch blade. The bartender was unable to open the register, so Ramirez forced it open himself. He took an undisclosed amount of cash and fled the bar.
Deputies gathered information from witnesses, which led to Ramirez being identified as a possible suspect. Deputies found Ramirez’ last known address in the Sheriff’s Office computer database and drove to an apartment complex on the 21400 block of S. Marks Ave. in Riverdale. At 1:45 am, deputies knocked on the door of an apartment unit and the door swung open. Deputies announced who they were and called out Jose Ramirez’ name. After a couple of minutes, Ramirez emerged from behind a wall with his hands up. Deputies placed him under arrest without incident. Detectives requested a search warrant and entered the apartment after receiving it. While inside collecting evidence, detectives recovered several stacks of cash on a table, which was possibly taken from the bar.
Anyone with information on this suspect is asked to please contact the Sheriff’s Office at (559) 600-3111 or call Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-STOP (7867).
