A crew of copper thieves was caught in the act early Tuesday morning as they tried to take an estimated $50,000 worth of wire in the Mission Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, police said.
A caller reported the incident after witnessing multiple suspects cutting the wire from an electrical pole on the 15000 block of Germain Street around 1:30 a.m.
“Upon arrival, the officers observed four suspects at the location with large pieces of copper wire and metal cutting tools on the ground,” the Los Angeles Police Department stated.
One of the suspects was immediately taken into custody as the other three fled on foot. A second person was captured a short time later, but police are still searching for the remaining two suspects.
The two people in custody were identified as 53-year-old Concepcion Vasquez and 51-year-old Jose Garcia Avila. Both were booked at Van Nuys Jail on suspicion of grand theft, police said.
Anyone with further information regarding the investigation was urged to contact the Police Department at 818-838-9810. Those who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or go to the lacrimestoppers.org website.
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