VISALIA — Police are asking for the public’s help finding three gang members suspected in a brutal armed robbery of a Porterville-area market late Friday night that left the clerk badly injured.

Sheriff Bill Wittman, less than 48 hours after the incident at N&S Chevron on East Teapot Dome Avenue, on Sunday described the three suspects as armed and dangerous.

“These three suspects … are validated gang members with a gang from the City of Fresno,” Wittman said during a 4 p.m. news conference here at the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department’s headquarters. “They’re considered armed and dangerous.”

Wittman said two firearms used in the robbery have not been found. Two baseball bats used in the incident have been recovered.

Wanted are:

-- Benjamin Hernandez, 16, of Fresno. He is described as 5 feet 3 inches tall, weighing 130 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He has a tattoo of a cross on his left arm, and a tattoo of a paw on his left ear. -- Francisco Hernandez Jr., 20, of Fresno. He is described as 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighing 145 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

-- Edward Johnson, 18, of Fresno. He is described as 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighing 150 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

They are wanted on suspicion of armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. Three other suspects are already in custody, including a former employee N&S Chevron. They are:

-- Michael Santoyo, 19, of Porterville. Santoyo was identified as a former employee of the market who was recently fired from his job.

-- Ricky Lucero, 19, of Fresno. He was also described by Wittman as a validated gang member.

-- Felecia Hernandez, 18, of Fresno.

Bail for each is set at $50,000. They are being held on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, armed robbery and conspiracy. Sheriff’s Department officials said Santoyo and Hernandez were arrested in Merced, while Lucero was arrested in Fresno. Felecia Hernandez and Francisco Hernandez Jr. are siblings. Law enforcement personnel from Tulare County north to Stockton are taking part in the investigation, Wittman said.

Investigation into the robbery included watching surveillance video from the scene. From there, detectives headed to the Fresno area where the Fresno Police Department helped and provided additional information.

Four search warrants were served with the help of Fresno police gang investigators, members of a crime suppression unit and Tulare County law-enforcement personnel. Police from Merced and Stockton also helped in the investigation, which led to the arrest of two of the suspects in the North Valley. Weapons and cash were recovered during the searches, the Sheriff’s Department reports.

The robbery and assault occurred shortly after 10 p.m. Friday at N&S Chevron, located in the 900 block of East Teapot Dome Avenue. Deputies were dispatched from the Porterville substation to investigate an armed robbery that had just occurred at the gas station.

Upon arrival, deputies reportedly found Tassen Saeed, 32, of Porterville, suffering from a head wound. Saeed was taken to a local hospital, where he was being treated for his injuries, the Sheriff's Department reports. The specific hospital was not named, but Wittman said Sunday it is located in Fresno. Sgt. Chris Galavaz said in a news release that detectives from the South County Investigations Unit were called to investigate the incident.

Saeed, a clerk at the store, was closing up for the evening when he was rushed by five people wearing dark-colored clothing, the Sheriff’s Department reports.

The suspects reportedly brandished weapons — two firearms and two baseball bats — and took Saeed to the office, where he was reportedly struck in the head with a baseball bat. “He was struck in the head. He was hit repeatedly,” Wittman said Sunday. “He was attacked pretty viciously.” Wittman said it looks like Saeed will survive.

After the attack, the suspects then fled the store, the Sheriff's Department reports, taking an undetermined amount of cash. Capt. Dave Williams said Sunday that while only five suspects entered the store, the sixth suspect was identified this weekend as a co-conspirator in the case.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about the whereabouts of the three remaining suspects is asked to call the Sheriff’s Department at 733-6218 or 1-800-808-0488.

-- Contact Glen Faison at 784-5000, Ext. 1040, or gfaison@portervillerecorder.com.