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Sheriff's detectives arrest two for murder of teenager in Keyes
Keyes murder arrests
Anthony Joseph Pando and Ruben Perez were arrested on homicide charges stemming from the murder of a Modesto teenager in Keyes in May.

The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department has arrested two men on homicide charges stemming from the murder of a Modesto teenager in Keyes in May.

Evan Robinson, 16, of Modesto was shot multiple times on the night of May 2, while at a taco truck near the intersection of Martha Avenue and 7th Street in Keyes. Witnesses told investigators that several people were eating near the taco trucks when a fight erupted and soon gunshots rang out. Investigators believe someone else was the target and that Robinson was caught in the gunfire. A silver car was seen fleeing the area immediately after the shots were fired.

Through the course of their follow-up investigation, detectives identified 19-year-old Ruben Perez of Keyes and Anthony Joseph Pando, 22, of Ceres as suspects in the murder of Robinson.

Perez was on active probation and attending a series of occupational preparedness courses at the Stanislaus County Day Reporting Center on E. Hackett Road in Modesto. Perez was previously convicted as a juvenile for assault with a firearm, said sheriff's department spokesman Sgt. Luke Schwartz.

Detectives confronted Perez Wednesday afternoon as he arrived for class and told him he had an outstanding arrest warrant for his involvement in the murder. He was taken into custody without incident, questioned and then booked into the Stanislaus County Jail.

Pando was located in Medford, Oregon and taken into custody at 2:55 p.m. Thursday during the course of a traffic stop, Schwartz said. He now awaits extradition back to California, where he will be booked into the Stanislaus County Jail.

The investigation into the death of Robinson is still active and ongoing. Detective Hickman is the case agent and can be contacted directly at the Sheriff’s Department should members of the community have any additional witness information they want to share. He can be reached at (209) 525-7042.