Brothers arrested in connection to motel robbery

SAN DIEGO (CNS) – Two brothers were behind bars Friday on suspicion of carrying out an East County motel robbery during which a clerk was wounded by a shotgun blast.

Charles Douglas Winzer, 24, allegedly confronted the victim at the Quality Inn and Suites in western El Cajon with a mask over his face and demanded cash shortly before 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to police.

The worker told the robber not to shoot and tried to escape into a back office, at which point the assailant fired one round before fleeing.

Medics took the victim to Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego for treatment of a non-life-threatening wound to his lower back.

Officers combed the area for the assailant in vain through the afternoon. During the search, administrators at nearby Grossmont High School put the campus on lockdown for about two hours.

Based on surveillance video and witnesses statements, detectives determined that the bandit had escaped in a red Chevrolet truck driven by another man, Lt. Frank La Haye said.

On Wednesday, patrol officers found the pickup at a hotel in the 1500 block of East Main Street in El Cajon and contacted Winzer, who matched the description of the robber. Detectives interviewed him, then arrested him on suspicion of committing the armed holdup and shooting.

Investigators subsequently identified Winzer’s 22-year-old brother, Christopher, as the suspected getaway driver. They tracked him down and took him into custody Thursday.

The suspects, both San Diego residents, were booked into county jail on suspicion of robbery and other felony charges.