Man Pleads Guilty to Violent Orange County Fast Food Robbery Spree

A 24-year-old Santa Ana man has pleaded guilty to carrying out a string of violent robberies targeting fast food restaurants across Orange County earlier this year, federal authorities announced.

According to the FBI, Freddie Alexander Lopez committed the crimes during a multi-day spree between January 27 and February 1, 2026, targeting multiple restaurants while threatening employees with weapons.

The robbery spree began on January 27, when Lopez entered a Subway restaurant in Santa Ana armed with a knife and demanded money from the cash register.

On January 30, he attempted another knife-point robbery at a Subway in Fountain Valley before later robbing a Yum Yum Donuts in Santa Ana, again forcing an employee to hand over cash.

His final known robbery occurred on February 1, when he entered a Subway in Anaheim carrying a replica firearm and ordered an employee to empty the register.

The crimes were captured on surveillance cameras, allowing investigators to identify Lopez as the suspect. On February 6, Santa Ana police located his vehicle, conducted a traffic stop, and arrested him. Officers recovered a handgun resembling the one used during the robberies, along with a knife, mask, and glasses allegedly used in the crimes.

On July 17, Lopez pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by robbery. As part of his plea agreement, he admitted using force, violence, and intimidation to rob or attempt to rob Orange County restaurants.

Lopez is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2 and faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

The investigation was conducted by the Santa Ana Police Department, Anaheim Police Department, Fountain Valley Police Department, and the FBI’s Fugitive & Violent Crime Task Force, while the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California is prosecuting the case.