Police name man arrested in Laughlin robbery

Las Vegas police arrested a man Monday after a three-hour standoff in Laughlin that started after a gas station robbery.

Officers identified the man as Steven Alaniz. Police said they linked him to the robbery at a Mobil gas station, 3020 Needles Highway. He faces a charge of robbery with a deadly weapon.

The robbery happened about 7:30 a.m., police said. When officers arrived the robber ran to the Colorado Bay Club complex on El Mirage Way, near Needles Highway, where officers followed him, prompting the standoff.

“He got away with less than $300,” said Donna Sebolt, a cashier at the Mobil station. She said she was not sure if the man was armed.

The robber’s disguise — a black bandana over his face and a pair of sunglasses — was “not very good,” Sebolt said.

“He was very calm,” she said. “It was very strange.”

Metro’s SWAT unit and crisis negotiators tried to talk with the man at the apartment.

Officers arrested Alaniz at 10:50 a.m., police spokeswoman Laura Meltzer said. It wasn’t clear if he surrendered or if SWAT entered the apartment to make the arrest.

Meltzer declined to say whether Metro recovered a weapon in the investigation, although Alaniz faces a weapons charge.

Reporters Cassandra Taloma and Colton Lochhead contributed to this story.

Contact Kimberly De La Cruz at kdelacruz@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Find her on Twitter: @KimberlyinLV.