CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Clearlake man has been arrested for an early Tuesday morning armed robbery at one of the city’s fast food restaurants.

Giovanni Madrigal, 19, was arrested hours after the robbery, according to Clearlake Police Sgt. Rodd Joseph.

Just before 2 a.m. Tuesday Clearlake Police officers responded to a report of an armed robbery which had just occurred at the Jack in the Box, located at 15945 Dam Road, Joseph said.

When officers arrived they learned that a single male masked gunman had contacted two employees outside the business who were on break and ordered them back into the restaurant at gunpoint, Joseph said.

Joseph said the gunman ordered those two employees to the front of the store and contacted a third employee inside. At gunpoint the subject took the third employee to a rear office where a small safe was located.

The armed robber managed to grab an undisclosed amount of money from this small safe and fled the business. The man was last seen running across Dam Road to the McDonald’s parking lot. Joseph said employees then observed a silver four-door vehicle flee towards Highway 53 from the area of the McDonald’s parking lot.

Joseph said no shots were fired and no one was injured during the violent take-over robbery.

During the initial investigation at the restaurant, Clearlake Police officers were able to develop a possible suspect lead and continued following up this lead into the morning hours. Joseph said the continued investigation led to the identity of a possible suspect vehicle.

Officers then began conducting surveillance at a residence in Clearlake and checking numerous locations in Clearlake and unincorporated Lower Lake where the possible suspect had known associations, Joseph said.

Joseph said the investigation began to pick up momentum as officers began obtaining more and more information confirming the suspect’s likely identity.

He said the officer continued nonstop for several hours to try to find the suspect.

Then, just after 7 a.m., an alert Clearlake Police officer who had just started his shift spotted the suspect vehicle, a 2001 silver Volvo, parked at the Travelodge Clearlake, located at 4775 Old Highway 53, Joseph said.

Numerous Clearlake Police officers from both the graveyard shift as well as dayshift began setting a perimeter around the hotel. Joseph said officers began working with management trying to identify a possible room but learned there was no record of the likely suspect staying at the hotel.

At about 7:12 a.m., the suspect, identified as Madrigal, and an unnamed female friend exited a room located on the west side of the upper floor and confronted officers, Joseph said.

At that point, Madrigal was in possession of a large loaded shotgun resembling the weapon used in the robbery. Joseph said Madrigal began manipulating the weapon as officers began yelling at him to put his hands up.

Instead, Joseph said Madrigal jumped over the upper balcony with the firearm still in his possession and landed on the ground below. Madrigal then began running westbound toward the little league baseball fields.

Madrigal ended up dropping the shotgun and jumped over a chain link fence onto the actual ball fields, Joseph said.

Joseph said officers were in the process of deploying a K-9 to apprehend Madrigal when suddenly Madrigal stopped, took a prone position onto his stomach and surrendered to officers. He was taken into custody without further incident.

Madrigal was charged with several violent felonies to include robbery, kidnapping and being armed in the commission of a felony, and a misdemeanor count of obstruction, Joseph said.

Joseph said Madrigal appeared to still be wearing the same clothes he was wearing during the robbery. Madrigal’s female friend was interviewed and subsequently released without charges.

The bulk of the money stolen was not located, Joseph said.

Madrigal was later booked into the Lake County Jail. Joseph said additional violent felony charges to include assault with a deadly weapon are being sought against Madrigal through the Lake County District Attorney’s Office.

His bail was set at $300,000 and he is due to be arraigned on Thursday, according to jail records.