Mesa police announced that two individuals have been taken into custody after being accused of stealing a vehicle from a woman and her 7-year-old daughter after a traumatic gunpoint theft.
Joseph Toledo
The Mesa woman was in the process of selling her car in Mesa, with her young daughter, when the incident occurred. Joseph Toledo, 29, and Iridiane Garcia, 23, were both arrested and are facing several felony charges including armed robbery, for allegedly stealing the car from a woman and her daughter outside a bank in Mesa.
The Mesa police reported that a woman had put up her 2021 Dodge Charger for sale on OfferUp, an online marketplace, and a potential buyer contacted her. They arranged to meet at a Wells Fargo Bank in the vicinity of Stapely and McKellips on Wednesday afternoon.
According to authorities, while conversing with the woman Iridiane Garcia, the victim was approached by a man, Toledo, who brandished a firearm and demanded the woman to hand over her car keys. The woman quickly took her daughter and fled as the suspects fled in the Charger. During the escape, the young girl tripped and injured her knee.
Iridiane Garcia
Upon the arrival of law enforcement, the woman provided them with the phone number used by the “buyer” to reach her. According to police, this number was linked to Toledo and after further investigation, the phone was traced to a Banner Medical Center in Peoria. It was at this location where the phone was discovered inside the abandoned Charger in the parking lot.
Following leads tied to Toledo, officers conducted investigations into various addresses until they located him in the passenger seat of a vehicle departing the vicinity. A Phoenix police helicopter trailed the car to an Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry establishment, where Toledo was reportedly meeting with his parole officer. Along with Toledo, Garcia, who was waiting for him in a parked car, was also taken into custody by the police. A handgun and the key to the stolen Charger were discovered in Garcia’s purse.
According to law enforcement, Toledo, who is known as a “repeat offender,” and Garcia are being charged with armed robbery and stealing a means of transportation.
The Mesa Police Department were able to recover the 2021 Dodge Charger at a Peoria hospital.
