18-year-old arrested on suspicion of robbing victim at knifepoint

SAN JACINTO (Wire Service) - An 18-year-old man suspected of pulling a knife and robbing a victim in San Jacinto was behind bars today.

Cedric James Saunders of Banning approached three people around 3:35 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 17, in the 800 block of Minor Street and asked one of them if he could borrow a cell phone, said Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. S. Agcaoili.

Once he got the phone, Saunders pulled a knife and demanded the other two victims' property, Agcaoili said.

"Fearing for their safety, one of the other victims complied and handed Saunders his cell phone. Saunders then fled the area on foot,'' Agcaoili said in a statement.

Deputies found Saunders near the crime scene and arrested him, the statement said.

Saunders was booked on suspicion of robbery at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning and was being held in lieu of $30,000 bail. He was due in court at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta on Tuesday, according to online jail records.

Anyone with information about the case was asked to contact sheriff's deputies at (951) 654-2702.