Suspect in 10 area armed robberies arrested in Temecula

A man police believe is responsible for at least 10 armed robberies over the last month in Southwest Riverside County -- including Menifee -- was arrested this week after a robbery near Pechanga Resort in Temecula, authorities said.

Brandon William Geer, 35, was booked at the Southwest Detention Center and faces eight counts of robbery second degree and two counts of attempted robbery second degree, all felonies, according to jail records. Officers made the connection to the other robberies after interviewing Geer and serving several search warrants, including one at a residence in the 30600 block of Cinnamon Teal Drive in Canyon Lake.

The first robbery to which Sheriff's Department investigators have linked Geer took place Dec. 12, 2016, at a business in the 25900 block of Newport Road (cross street Murrieta Road) in Menifee, according to a news release. According to police, the suspect brandished a hand gun at employees during an early morning robbery and left with a small sum of money.

Members of the Sheriff's Department Burglary Supression Team determined that the same suspect committed six more armed robberies over the next few weeks in Menifee, Perris, Murrieta, Wildomar and Temecula. Each robbery took place in the early morning hours. Evidence collected at each crime scene indicated the presence of one suspect, police said.

On Wednesday, Jan. 11, three more armed robberies were committed in a span of less than three hours in the early morning hours -- one in Murrieta and two in Temecula. The last robbery occurred in the 44500 block of Bedford Court in Temecula and the suspect fled east on Temecula Parkway, police said. Security personnel at Pechanga Resort notified police that they detained an individual matching the suspect's description.

Geer was taken into custody and was linked to the other nine crimes in the area.

Anyone with additional information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact Deputy Manny Campos at the Perris Police Department by calling 951-210-1000 or Investigator Darin Gray at the Temecula Police Department by calling 951-696-3000. Deputy Campos can also be reached by email at PerrisStation@RiversideSheriff.org.