California Man Pleads Guilty to Multiple Armed Robberies

A man from California, Freddy Alexander Lopez, has confessed to a sequence of armed robberies and attempted robberies targeting Subway restaurants in Orange County. The 24-year-old from Santa Ana entered a guilty plea on federal robbery charges after admitting to threatening cashiers with a weapon at three Subway outlets and a donut shop over a span of six days.

According to the FBI’s report, Lopez would enter the stores late at night, dressed in a black hoodie and mask. He pretended to buy chips and other items, waiting for cashiers to open the registers, only to then draw a weapon and demand cash.

Evidence from surveillance footage, along with cell phone data placing Lopez near the crime scenes, helped to substantiate the charges against him.

The robbery spree began on January 27, 2026, at a Subway in Santa Ana. Reports indicate that Lopez threatened a cashier with a knife and escaped with $300, as detailed in the criminal complaint.

Lopez’s next target was a Subway in Fountain Valley on January 30, where he once again brandished a knife while demanding money. Witnesses recounted that he threatened the cashier, saying, “Give me all the money back or I’ll hurt you.” However, the cashier refused, leading Lopez to flee the scene.

Just under 30 minutes later, he robbed a Yum Yum Donuts store situated about five and a half miles away, according to investigators. A couple of days later, on February 1, he attempted another robbery at a Subway in Anaheim. Surveillance footage from that incident shows Lopez wielding what seemed to be a handgun; when the cashier resisted, he jumped over the counter, trying to forcibly access the cash register.

Lopez ultimately left the restaurant empty-handed after failing to open the register.

On February 6, police in Santa Ana arrested him during a traffic stop, suspecting his vehicle was linked to robberies. Inside the car, authorities discovered what looked like a handgun, a knife, and other items matching those used during the crimes. A replica gun was also found that was similar to the one he used in the February 1 incident.

Initially released on pretrial conditions, Lopez was rearrested on federal robbery charges on April 30. After his guilty plea, he is set to be sentenced on October 2 and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.