'Bro' Bandit and 'Hipster' Sidekick Nabbed in Grocery Robberies

ARVADA, CO -- Lakewood police announced that they had arrested two men who allegedly robbed up to 11 Kings Soopers grocery stores in the metro region since July of last year, including two in Arvada, as recently as Jan. 29. Valentin Justin Arrastia, 36, and Kelen Thomas Hobbs, 35, were taken into custody Monday in the 12600 block of Forest Dr. in Thornton.

Originally, police believed the crimes were being committed by a single male, whose attire, sunglasses, cell phone and facial hair earned him the nickname the "hipster bandit." Starting in July, 2017, King Soopers stores in Lakewood were robbed eight different times. Then a King Soopers was robbed in Littleton, and finally two grocery stores were robbed in Arvada, one on Sunday.

The robber's technique was always the same. In the evening, wearing sunglasses and a baseball hat, he would appear to be chatting on a cell phone and wait till a clerk at the customer service desk was alone. Then he would hand over a tote bag and a note demanding money. The robber would get away with thousands, up to $3,000 in one instance.

The FBI described him as "a white male, 25 to 35 years of age, approximately 6' tall, with a medium build, and facial hair."

On Jan. 7 the duo allegedly robbed King Soopers at 9820 W. Belleview Ave. in Littleton.

According to the FBI, other incidents were:

- 7/18/17, 6:05 p.m., King Soopers at 1545 S. Kipling St. in Lakewood

- 7/21/17, 7:10 p.m., King Soopers at 1927 S. Wadsworth Blvd. in Lakewood

- 9/5/17, 7:40 p.m., King Soopers at 1927 S. Wadsworth Blvd. in Lakewood

- 10/25/17, 7:21 p.m., King Soopers at 1927 S. Wadsworth Blvd. in Lakewood

- 11/5/17, 5:43 p.m., King Soopers at 1927 S. Wadsworth Blvd. in Lakewood

- 12/16/17, 4:31 p.m., King Soopers at 1545 S. Kipling St. in Lakewood

- 12/29/17, 5:03 p.m., King Soopers at 1927 S. Wadsworth Blvd. in Lakewood

The two Arvada locations were not specified.

At first detectives believed the hipster bandit, also called the Secret Shopper Bandit, was working alone, but then they began to suspect a second man might have participated in or been an accessory to the numerous robberies, a statement from Lakewood police said.

The two were caught up in a Lakewood routine traffic stop two weeks ago, and police were reportedly able to link them to the grocery stores robberies, a police press release said.

Both men were booked into the Adams County Jail on suspicion of 11 counts of aggravated robbery. They will eventually be transferred to the Jefferson County Jail.

Images via Lakewood Police Dept.