PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Two men accused of robbing a Providence phone store at gunpoint were in court Friday as police investigate whether there’s any connection to other recent robberies of a similar nature.
Alex Rodriguez, 24, and Josue Calderon, 30, were ordered held without bail after they were arraigned on first-degree robbery and conspiracy charges.
Police allege the two men and a juvenile suspect held up the Metro PCS on Admiral Street around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday. According to the facts read in court, the store’s owner told the responding officers that two men wearing all black entered the store and started waving a gun around and demanding all the iPhones.
The suspects ordered the owner to go into the back room and open the safe, police said, and the men made off with several phones and $233 in cash. Investigators believe Calderon was the getaway driver.
Police said the suspects fled in a gold Audi, which was spotted a short time later on Wild Street along with the suspects. They were taken into custody and a later search of two apartments resulted in the seizure of numerous stolen phones, black masks, and security devices, according to police.
Police also noted in court that Rodriguez provided “numerous incriminating statements” while being questioned, including telling detectives that he had conspired with Calderon and a third person to commit the Metro PCS robbery.
Rodriguez also faces charges in two other robberies on Feb. 18 and April 12, 2019.
The two men were ordered to have no contact with the alleged victims.
