Two arrested after armed home invasion at Heritage Ranch

By Paso Robles Press · Sun Nov 15 2026

Deputies recover stolen jewelry and firearms after stopping suspects near Shandon about 40 minutes after report

HERITAGE RANCH — Two teenagers were arrested Thursday evening after allegedly forcing their way into a Heritage Ranch home, holding its occupants at gunpoint, and fleeing with a safe containing approximately $20,000 worth of jewelry and several firearms, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office. The robbery was reported at approximately 6 p.m. Nov. 12. Within about 40 minutes, deputies and assisting agencies had stopped the suspects’ vehicle near Shandon and taken both into custody without incident. No injuries were reported.

Deputies responding to the home learned that two male suspects approached the residence and forced their way inside when someone answered the door, sheriff’s officials said.

Once inside, the suspects allegedly threatened the occupants at gunpoint and forced them into a room. One occupant was made to retrieve a safe containing the jewelry before the suspects left with the safe and firearms, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

A description of the suspects’ vehicle, combined with information from an automated license plate reader system, helped deputies locate the vehicle traveling on Highway 46 near Shandon.

Paso Robles police, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and a California Highway Patrol helicopter assisted deputies in locating and stopping the vehicle. A subsequent search recovered the stolen property, including the jewelry and firearms, sheriff’s officials said.

Authorities identified the adult suspect as Avyel Leyva, 18, of Merced. He was arrested on suspicion of armed robbery, assault with a firearm, kidnapping, criminal threats, and attempting to dissuade a witness.

A 17-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of the same offenses stemming from the Heritage Ranch incident. Authorities did not release his name.

Leyva was also arrested on an outstanding Newman Police Department warrant involving allegations of shooting at an inhabited dwelling, willful discharge of a firearm, assault with a firearm, participation in a criminal street gang, and criminal threats, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s officials said Leyva is believed to have ties to a criminal street gang in Merced County. The release did not identify the gang or describe a gang-related motive for the Heritage Ranch robbery.

The license plate technology credited with helping locate the suspects has been used in the Paso Robles area for several years. According to an October 2021 city staff report, Paso Robles began operating six fixed license plate reader cameras in March 2021, following City Council authorization in December 2020. By the time of that report, police said the system had helped recover eight stolen vehicles, while data used in five investigations contributed to arrests, stolen-property recoveries, and narcotics seizures.

The Sheriff’s Office has also documented the technology’s use in other investigations. In an April 2026 burglary investigation, officials said vehicle records helped investigators connect a suspect to seven commercial burglaries in San Luis Obispo County, along with additional burglaries elsewhere in California. Those records were used alongside other physical and electronic evidence, according to the agency’s community information bulletin.

In the Heritage Ranch case, investigators believe the robbery was an isolated incident and said there is no known ongoing threat to the public.

The investigation remains ongoing.