The Olympian
A Thurston County Superior Court commissioner set bail at $150,000 each for two active-duty soldiers accused of robbing and kidnapping a Domino’s Pizza delivery driver last weekend.
On Sunday, Olympia police arrested Daniel Cano-Real, 19, and John Jose Medina, 20, on suspicion of robbery and kidnapping. Both men are currently stationed at Joint Base Lewis McChord, according to court documents.
During their first court appearance on Monday, Commissioner Nathan Kortokrax found probable cause for first-degree robbery, second-degree assault, first-degree kidnapping, possession of a stolen firearm, third-degree theft and second-degree vehicle prowling.
Kortokrax set the bail amounts citing a substantial risk they may commit a violent crime. He also barred them from contacting each other or the person they are accused of robbing.
Neither man has any known criminal history, according to court documents.
A probable cause statement describes law enforcement’s investigation into the incident.
An Olympia police officer contacted the two men on Sunday at 12:43 a.m. he spotted their vehicle driving the wrong way on State Avenue in Olympia, according to the statement.
After initiating a traffic stop, another officer noticed one of the three individuals in the car was dressed in Domino’s Pizza attire and his hands were bound together. Police freed the delivery man and he told them he had been kidnapped at gunpoint by the other two men, court documents read.
Police identified the alleged captors as Daniel Cano-Real and John Jose Medina. Inside the car, they found a semiautomatic pistol, an open-folding knife, a ski mask with eye holes, a Domino’s Pizza insulated carrier, piles of cash and the delivery man’s wallet.
During an interview, the delivery driver told police he had just delivered a pizza on Devoe Street Northeast when a silver vehicle blocked his car from backing out. He said a man in a mask approached his driver’s side window and pointed a semi-automatic pistol at him, according to the statement.
The delivery driver said the masked man told him to get out of his car and then he ushered him into the back seat of the silver vehicle. The driver said a second person in the backseat of the silver vehicle pointed a gun at him.
As they detained the delivery driver, they two men allegedly prowled his car, taking money and a pizza. The delivery driver also told police one of them drove his car off the road and into some bushes before they all continued to drive around Olympia in the silver vehicle, according to the statement.
Police said Cano-Real allegedly admitted to participating in the robbery during their interview. However, he reportedly said Medina had planned the robbery from Tacoma and provided him with gloves and a firearm.
The two men allegedly drove to Olympia and looked through random neighborhoods for someone to rob, according to the statement. Police say Cano-Real allegedly told them that Medina had initiated the robbery when he noticed the delivery man pull out of a residence.
Medina asked for a lawyer and declined to answer questions, the statement read.
After searching the delivery driver’s vehicle, police found another semi-automatic pistol, according to the statement. Based on the pistol’s serial number, police say it was stolen out of Tacoma.
The delivery driver provided dash cam footage of the incident, which court documents say corroborated his account of the robbery.
Both men are set to appear in court for their arraignments on April 13.
