Couple arrested in assault, robbery at local 7-11

Employees at the 7-11 on Forest Avenue called police Oct. 24 about a fight and robbery at the store.

It wasn’t a typical Wednesday night at a local 7-11, where a man and a woman robbed the store and got into a physical altercation with the employees after the man was accused of shoplifting.

Arrested leaving the store were Edwin Mendez, 19, and Angela Mariah Noble-Cortez, 21.

Here's what happened, according to Chico Police:

At 10:19 p.m. on Oct. 24, an emergency call came in about a male and female fighting at the 7-11 store located on Forest Avenue off Highway 32.

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Store employees told officers the woman had first entered the store to pay for fuel. The man also entered and was looking through key chains on a display rack near the front register.

The workers believed the man was shoplifting and confronted him. The employees argued with the couple, and they demanded their money back.

As one of the employees opened the register to return the money, the woman reached across and grabbed two $100 bills from the register.

The employees jumped over the counter and blocked the door, preventing the pair from leaving. The woman then punched one of the employees in the face and used a large pen, about the size of a dagger, to stab the employee in the leg.

The man and woman fled the scene in a car but were stopped by officers.

After searching the vehicle, police discovered a sawed-off shotgun, an AR-15 rifle and butane hash oil valued at $1,850 in the trunk and the passenger compartment.

Photos from Chico Police Department