California man admits targeting 3 Subway restaurants for robberies in less than a week, FBI says

A California man admitted Friday to carrying out a string 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 a federal robbery charge after admitting he threatened cashiers with weapons at three Subway restaurants and a donut shop, all over an approximately six-day period.

At each business he targeted, Lopez entered late at night wearing a dark hoodie and a mask, according to the FBI. He would approach the counter, order a bag of chips or another item and wait for the cashier to open the register before brandishing a weapon and demanding money.

Surveillance footage from the businesses, along with cellphone location data placing Lopez near the establishments at the time of the robberies, helped prosecutors link him to the crimes.

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Lopez's spree of robberies began on Jan. 27, 2026, when he walked into a 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, per the criminal complaint.

During the early morning hours of Jan. 30, Lopez entered a Subway in Fountain Valley and once again demanded money while threatening the cashier with a knife, according to the plea agreement.

"Give me all the money, or I'll hurt you," Lopez said, according to witnesses who spoke with law enforcement.

This time, the cashier refused and shut the cash register, prompting Lopez to flee on foot, according to the criminal complaint.

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Less than 30 minutes later, Lopez robbed a Yum Yum Donuts store about 5-and-a-half miles from the Subway he had just targeted, investigators said.

Two days later, on Feb. 1, Lopez walked into a third Subway restaurant in Anaheim, per the criminal complaint.

Surveillance footage reviewed by the FBI showed Lopez was armed with what appeared to be a black pistol. When the female cashier refused to give him money, the footage showed him jumping over the counter and trying to wrestle the key to the register out of her hand.

After Lopez failed to get the key and could not open the register with the touch screen, he left the restaurant, according to the criminal complaint.

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On Feb. 6, the Santa Ana Police Department arrested Lopez during a traffic stop, believing his vehicle was the one that was driven by the suspect in the robberies, according to the FBI.

Officers found what appeared to be "the same handgun, knife, mask, and glasses used during the robberies," the FBI said. Investigators noted that they found a replica gun in his car that appeared to match the one used in the Feb. 1 attempted robbery.

After his arrest, Lopez was released ahead of his trial but was re-arrested on April 30 on the federal robbery charge.

Following his guilty plea, Lopez is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 2. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.