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Reporter: Claire Doan
Web Producer: Rikki Mitchell

TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) – The person responsible for at least 8 armed robberies in the Tucson area has been arrested, and he's a teenager.

Sgt. Chris Widmer with Tucson Police tells KGUN9 that 16-year-old Steven Robles robbed eight businesses starting in July and ending last week.

Robles was seen in surveillance video from a robbery that took place September 24 at the Car Cash Pawn Stars at 3450 N. Oracle Rd, and Widmer says Police identified him after a tip from the public.

According to police, Robles went into the businesses armed with a gun, tied employees up, stole their money and left with their cars.

Robles was charged with 8 counts of armed robbery and 6 counts of aggravated robbery.

Police also arrested three others involved in the string of robberies. Orlando Robles, 22, Alexandria Gallego, 15 and Samuel Torres-Garcia, 19 were arrested and charged with multiple counts of armed robbery and aggravated robbery.

Widmer says Steven Robles and Orlando Robles are brothers, and Alexandria Gallego is the girlfriend of Steven Robles.

Four search warrants were served during the arrests and police were able to recover stolen game systems, iPods, iPads, iPhones and cash taken from the armed robberies.

Lasting Touch Salon on Broadway Boulevard was hit in mid-July. One of the employees there shared her harrowing story with 9 On Your Side.

“He’s clean-cut. His eyes weren’t glossy. There was nothing to alert me that he was suspicious, so that’s what catches you off guard,” said an employee there, who did not want her identity revealed for fear of her safety.

She said he returned with a gun moments later.

“He charged me and put the gun towards my back and I jumped up. Then he put it in my face and cocked it and racked it with his finger on the trigger right in my face,” she said.

“Ususally these things include people who are addicted to drugs of some type and they have a habit to feed,” said Tucson Police Detective Brad Hunt.

“He took us in the back and he hit us and told us to get on our hands and knees. He started to put on gloves and kept apologizing for what he did,” the employee recalled.

She begged him not to shoot and said her prayer to God resonated with him; he left after locking her and a client in the back room.

“I do believe he has a conscience and he needs to get help but evidently, he keeps doing it but he needs to get caught,” she said.