Suspect arrested in Fresno after robbing deliveryman of chips at knifepoint, police say

A man suspected of holding up a deliveryman at knifepoint for bags of chips outside a 7-Eleven in Fresno early Thursday has been taken into custody, police said.

Fresno police officers arrived at the convenience store in the 2000 block of Tulare Street about 3:15 a.m. and were able to talk suspect Rosendo Garcia, 50, into throwing his knife into the dirt after a brief standoff, Police Lt. Robert Beckwith said.

The victim was delivering Frito-Lay chips from his truck when he heard rattling at the back doors. The doors opened, and Garcia was standing there, Beckwith said in a written summary of the incident.

Garcia allegedly started shouting at the victim and demanding chips, and told the man he’d kill him if he didn’t do it. Garcia then pulled out a straight-blade knife from his waistband and held it in front of the victim with the blade facing down, Beckwith said.

As he was screaming, the suspect reportedly pulled a stack of boxes off the truck and chips spilled onto the ground.

The victim was wearing earbuds and was able to tell his phone to call 911, Beckwith said, and Garcia heard the victim and reportedly said he didn’t care if police were called.

Garcia reportedly walked away but returned again to the truck, took some more chips and headed toward a Greyhound station where officers apprehended him.

Initially, Beckwith said, the suspect was “noncompliant and asked officers to kill him,� but within a few minutes they talked him into complying.

Garcia was booked into the Fresno County jail on suspicion of armed robbery.