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A California man pleaded guilty Friday to a series of armed robberies and attempted robberies at three Subway restaurants in the Orange County area.
Freddie Alexander Lopez, 24, of Santa Ana, pleaded guilty to robbery after admitting he threatened cashiers with weapons at three Subway restaurants and a donut shop over a six-day period.
At each business he targeted, Lopez entered late at night wearing a black hoodie and a mask, according to the FBI. He approaches the counter, orders a bag of chips or something else and waits for the cashier to open the register before pulling out a weapon and demanding money.
Surveillance footage from the businesses, along with cell phone location data that placed Lopez near locations during the robberies, helped prosecutors link him to the crimes.
Surveillance footage shows Freddie Alexander Lopez robbing an underground restaurant in Santa Ana, California, on Jan. 27, 2026. Lopez pleaded guilty to federal robbery. (FBI)
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Lopez’s robbery spree began on Jan. 27, 2026, when he entered Subway in Santa Ana at 11:57 p.m., according to court records.
After pulling a knife on the cashier, Lopez was able to get away with $300, according to a criminal complaint.
In the early morning hours of Jan. 30, Lopez entered Subway in Fountain Valley and demanded money while threatening the cashier with a knife, according to the plea agreement.
“Give me all the money, or I will hurt you,” Lopez said, according to witnesses who spoke to law enforcement.
This time, the cashier refused and closed the cash register, prompting Lopez to flee on foot, according to the criminal complaint.
Surveillance footage shows Lopez attempting to rob another underground restaurant in Fountain Valley, California, on Jan. 30, 2026, three days after the first robbery. (FBI)
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Less than 30 minutes later, Lopez robbed a Yum Yum Donuts store about 5 1/2 miles from the Subway he had just targeted, investigators said.
Two days later, on February 1, Lopez entered the third underground restaurant in Anaheim, according to the criminal complaint.
Surveillance footage reviewed by the FBI shows Lopez was armed with a black handgun. When the cashier refused to give her money, the footage showed her jumping over the counter and trying to get the register key out of her hand.
After Lopez was unable to find a key and was unable to open the register via the touch screen, he left the restaurant, according to the criminal complaint.
Surveillance footage shows Lopez pulling out what appears to be a gun while attempting to rob an underground restaurant in Anaheim on Feb. 1, 2026. (FBI)
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On February 6, the Santa Ana Police Department arrested Lopez during a traffic stop, believing that his car was the one the suspect was driving, according to the FBI.
Police found “the same gun, knife, mask and sunglasses used in the robbery,” the FBI said. Investigators noted that they found a gun similar to the one in his car, which appeared to be the same as the one used during the robbery on February 1.
Another surveillance camera from an Anaheim restaurant shows Lopez fighting with a cashier over a key to the register. Authorities said Lopez was unable to find the key and left. (FBI)
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After his arrest, Lopez was released before his trial but was arrested again on April 30 on a robbery charge.
Following his guilty plea, Lopez is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
