FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – A jury has found the man dubbed the “Starbucks Bandit” guilty.
30 year old Ryan Flores admits to the attempted robbery charge stemming from the incident at the Fresno Starbucks store in July, when Good Samaritan Cregg Jerri intervened – hitting the would-be robber with a chair, and the two wrestling with Flores’ knife, leaving both men with injuries.
For the knife wounds inflicted upon Jerri, Flores faced charges of aggravated assault with great bodily injury in addition to attempted armed robbery. He was found guilty of both.
In closing arguments, Defense Attorney Richard Esquivel showed video of the incident and photos of Flores’ wounds saying his client acted in self-defense, and that Jerri continued stabbing Flores even after he surrendered.
The other side, Deputy DA David Olmos, closed by saying that Flores is a liar, with conflicting stories from the time he was caught to his courtroom testimony.
Deputy DA Olmos told the jury that the physical evidence contradicts Flores’ words, and that he could have run out after Jerri initially hit him with a chair but chose to make the altercation deadly by swinging a knife.
The jury took several hours to render a verdict.
Flores faces the possibility of several years behind bars. He will be sentenced in December.
