A judge set bail at $2.25 million across 10 criminal cases for a Vancouver man police believe to be a serial robber.
Beat Byron Beethoven Onobay, 21, appeared on the cases last week in Clark County Superior Court. Prosecutors have since consolidated the cases and filed nine counts of first-degree robbery, nine counts of second-degree assault, two counts of first-degree kidnapping, one count of attempted first-degree robbery and one count of theft of a firearm. He’s scheduled to be arraigned Dec. 20, court records show.
Onobay is accused in 10 robberies between August and November, mostly at east Vancouver convenience stores and fast-food restaurants, according to court records.
In one case, Vancouver police said surveillance video shows two men, one of whom is later identified as Onobay, approach The Herbery, 2815 St. Johns Blvd. They could be seen threatening a man with a firearm and telling the man to request access into the dispensary. Once an employee let the men inside, Onobay and the other unidentified suspect produced handguns. Onobay threw a backpack to the employee, and the employee is seen on video putting money in the bag while Onobay selected merchandise from the shelves. The two suspects then ran from the store, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Police used images of Onobay and the clothing he was wearing to match him to several similar armed robberies. Court records state those included an Aug. 20 robbery and an Oct. 6 attempted robbery at 20th Street Mini Mart, 2900 E. 20th St., an Oct. 3 robbery at a Plaid Pantry at 1002 W. Fourth Plain Blvd., Oct. 10 and Oct. 19 robberies at a Subway at 2702 N.E. 114th Ave., Oct. 23 and Oct. 28 robberies at a Subway at 1125 S.E. 163rd Place, a Nov. 3 robbery at a Chevron at 14135 S.E. Mill Plain Blvd., and a Nov. 25 robbery at the ampm convenience store at 2714 N.E. 112th Ave.
In the Oct. 6 attempted robbery at the Mini Mart, court records state that when Onobay pointed a gun at the clerk, the clerk pulled out his own gun, prompting Onobay to run from the store. In the Nov. 3 Chevron robbery, Onobay is accused of taking the clerk’s gun from him, the affidavit states.
Police also investigated a Nov. 17 armed carjacking committed by a man who appeared to be wearing the same clothing as Onobay from the robberies, according to court records.
While police were investigating the carjacking, they found surveillance footage of Onobay at a nearby Chevron convenience store. An employee identified Onobay and his address from an employment application he’d filled out at the gas station, the affidavit states.
On Dec. 5, officers served a search warrant on Onobay’s address and arrested him. Inside the house, they found the clothing seen during the robberies, along with other evidence. They also found a handgun that was reported stolen during a robbery, court records state.
During a police interview, officers said Onobay admitted to committing the robberies; he wouldn’t name anyone who helped him, the affidavit states.
Onobay said he robbed the stores to get money to pay rent to his father. He used a real firearm during the robberies, he said, but he’d since sold it, according to court records.
