Updated at 11:44 a.m.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
A young man walking down a Centralia street and a teenage girl at Fort Borst Park were held up in separate incidents yesterday by a pair of males believed to be armed with a stun gun and pepper spray.
In the second case at about 4:30 p.m. the 17-year-old victim kicked one of the would-be robbers in the groin causing the pair to flee, police said.
Two suspects were in custody by about 11:30 p.m., according to the Centralia Police Department. Booked into the Lewis County Jail were Steven N. Romero, 18, and Zachary J. Konoske, 19, both from Centralia.
Police Sgt. Carl Buster said the girl in the park refused to hand over her backpack and money, telling the man she was going to scream. He grabs at her backpack anyways, Buster said.
“She kicks him in the n***, he pepper sprays her,” and they leave, Buster said.
In both instances, the males pulled up in a red car described as full of people, according to police. A 30-year-old Rochester woman and an 18-year-old Morton resident are facing possible arrest for rendering criminal assistance, according to police.
Buster said he won’t be at all surprised if there were other victims of similar crimes in the area during the day yesterday.
“I’m betting other people will come forward,” he said.
The first situation occurred just before 11 a.m. near Woodland Avenue and West Summa street in the south end of town, according to police.
A 19-year-old man told police he was walking down the sidewalk listening to his iPod when a red car pulled up and two males got out and confronted him.
One of them demanded he give them everything out of his pockets and when he refused, grabbed his iPod, according to police.
The other male stood by and threatened him with what the victim thought was a Taser gun, because he heard the sound of electricity sparking or arcing, according to Buster. The victim handed over his wallet, according to Buster.
Acting on a tip, police pulled over a vehicle getting on Interstate 5 at about 7 p.m.; Romero was arrested, according to police. Officers got information Konoske was at a house off Roosevelt Street and went there about 11:30 p.m., according to Buster.
“He tried to run out the back door, but police grabbed him,” Buster said.
The two suspects were booked for robbery.