2 Smash-And-Grab Burglars Arrested In Westminster; 1 Suspect At Large
LONG BEACH (CBSLA.com) — Police Friday arrested two suspects who committed a series of armed burglaries in Long Beach and Westminster.
Shortly before 2:30 a.m., a red pick-up truck drove into a jewelry story located in the 4600 block of Los Coyotes Diagnol, according to the Long Beach Police Department.
A preliminary investigation revealed items were stolen from the store. The thieves managed to break through the security gate and smashed jewelry cases before ransacking items.
About an hour later, a red pick-up truck matching a similar description ran into a Game Stop store located in the 400 block of West Anaheim Street and committed a similar crime.
It remains unclear what was stolen from this location.
According to police, the pick-up truck was recovered at 14th and Chestnut streets.
At 4:30 a.m., officers caught two of the suspects as they exited a Sprint store they had just broken into at the Westminster shopping plaza.
Officers said they received a call of a burglary in progress and arrived to the location within 90 seconds. Upon their arrival, the suspects fled, and crashed their SUV near the parking lot. A short foot pursuit ensued before they were taken into custody.
A preliminary investigation revealed the suspects broke into a window to gain entrance into the store where they stole $50,000 worth of electronics.
They were arrested without incident, according to the Westminster Police Department.
At this time, the third suspect remains at large. Police believe he may have been picked up by an accomplice.
The neighborhood south of Westminster was placed on lock down during the investigation.
Detectives described the suspects as three men who wore hoodies during the burglaries.
Authorities believe a vehicle may have been following the pick-up truck at the time of the crimes.
The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information regarding either incident is urged to contact the Long Beach Police Department at (562) 435-6711.
