Two men were arrested Monday morning after an alleged attempted armed robbery and fleeing the scene of a crime that began in front of Riley’s.
Christopher James Sylva, 21, and Forrest Boughton, 21, are in custody facing a variety of felony charges after they tried to rob an unidentified 30-year-old man at gunpoint behind Riley’s, according to a Chico Police Department press release. The victim knocked the gun out of the suspect’s hand and then ran into Riley’s for help. The suspect then fired shots into the air. No one was hurt during the incident.
“We didn’t know what was going on but someone ran in and then security grabbed them and took them outside, where there was a bunch of officers and police cars,” said Chico State student Alyssa Stralla, who witnessed the incident.
An unidentified person called Chico police and said one suspect fired two shots from a handgun in air while standing outside the bar, the release read. The suspects then fled the scene in a blue Chevy Impala.
Rebekah Terrasa, a Chico resident and witness to the incident, said she saw a man being removed from Riley’s before the shots.
“The guy was trying to bribe the man working at the door,” she said, “so he reached into his pocket and a gun fell out. He popped off two rounds and then took off.”
Chico police located the suspected vehicle near West Second and Ivy streets. The suspects in the vehicle were involved in an argument with pedestrians where they fired off two more rounds. Officers saw the shots being fired and chased the vehicle.
The pursuit happened though the south part or campus, according to the release. It continued through downtown Chico. Sylva fell out the vehicle at East Second and Flume streets and was detained. He was transported to Enloe Medical Center for treatment.
The pursuit continued to Chapmantown at 20th Street Park where police stopped the fleeing vehicle and Boughton was detained after a felony stop.
Police found two handguns, one that had been reported stolen in Los Angeles, in the vehicle. It was discovered during the course of the investigation that the suspects had confronted a man behind Riley’s and demanded his wallet and money.
David McVicker and Hannah Suzuki can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_news on Twitter.
