* Russell Edward Garcia A San Jose man was arrested last week for allegedly robbing several people

Published by Staff Writer on June 2, 2010

A San Jose man was arrested last week for allegedly robbing several people, including three taxi cab drivers, at gunpoint, police announced today.Russell Edward Garcia, 30, was arrested Friday on suspicion of robbery, following a police chase that involved a canine unit, San Jose police said.On May 17 at about 10:45 p.m., a person delivering pizza was robbed at gunpoint in the 200 block of North 19th Street, police said. An accomplice and the suspect, later identified as Garcia, displayed a gun and demanded money.Then on May 20 at about 3:10 p.m., Garcia allegedly robbed a taxi cab driver in the 400 block of South 11th Street, police said.The driver had gone to the 800 block of East Street James Street to pick up a passenger, who police later identified as Garcia’s accomplice. The driver dropped off the accomplice, who went into a home to get the cab fare. While he was inside, Garcia jumped in the car and pointed a gun at the driver’s head, police said.On May 25, a cab was dispatched at 10:35 p.m. to the 300 block of North 31st Street to pick up Garcia, police said. He entered the back seat of the cab, pointed a gun at the driver, demanded cash and took the money before leaving. Finally on Friday, a cab was called at about 2:20 p.m. to pick up Garcia in the 600 block of Novak Drive. The driver took him to an undisclosed location, and Garcia pulled out a gun and demanded cash, police said.The driver complied, and Garcia kicked the driver out and took his vehicle, police said. Officers found the abandoned cab a few blocks away.Robbery detectives identified Garcia as the suspect in all four cases and set up surveillance of a home he was known to frequent.Officers saw him leave the home and followed him to the area of South Seventh and Reed streets. They tried to arrest him, but he ran, police said. A police dog named Rocco was released to track down Garcia, and Garcia allegedly tried to shoot the dog twice, police said.The weapon misfired both times, and Rocco caught Garcia. Officers arrested Garcia and took him to the hospital, where he was treated for dog bite injuries, before booking him into the Santa Clara County jail.