By Khalida Sarwari
A man who ordered a retail employee in Santa Cruz to get into a dressing room and then dragged her by the arm toward the back of the store during the course of an alleged robbery over the weekend was arrested early this morning, according to police.
Todd Hazelquist, 50, was arrested in connection with the robbery, which police said occurred at about 10:15 a.m. Saturday at a business in the 1300 block of Pacific Avenue.
Hazelquist allegedly walked into the business, approached an employee, and demanded money, police said.
The employee, a 22-year-old Santa Cruz woman who was uninjured during the attack, refused to open the cash register. The man told her to get into a dressing room, before he dragged her by the arm toward the rear of the store, police said.
When the victim screamed, the man put his hand over her mouth before running out of the store, police said.
Police found Hazelquist at the Motel Santa Cruz shortly after midnight Sunday after receiving tips from people who had seen his photo. He was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail on suspicion of kidnapping and robbery.