Former armored car employee gets probation for San Leandro robbery that left driver executed

OAKLAND — A former fugitive has pleaded guilty to a lesser offense in connection with a 2022 armored truck robbery in which a security guard was shot in the back of the head and killed.

Artemio Torres, 28, pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact in exchange for the theft charge against him being dropped. He is expected to be sentenced in October to two years’ probation and credit for time already served in prison, court records show.

Torres’ co-defendant, Akbar Bey, remains in jail and is accused of murdering 60-year-old John Mendez during the Sept. 7, 2022, robbery. Prosecutors say Bey shot Mendez in the back of the head before getting into Torres’ vehicle and fleeing.

Both Bey and Torres were former employees of the GardaWorld trucking company and were allegedly planning to rob it when security guards made a drop-off at a Kaiser building in San Leandro. Bey and Mendez were partners when Bey worked there. Authorities said Bey and Torres were fired after being accused of embezzling money.

Bey was arrested shortly after the shooting, but Torres remained on the run for more than a year after fleeing the state, police said. He was arrested last June on a theft warrant and agreed to plead no contest on Aug. 16, records show.

Originally published: September 17, 2024 at 1:02 PM