Three gardening theft suspects were arrested after being found in possession of stolen equipment on Jan. 10.
Earlier that day, at about 12:02 p.m., a witness reported seeing suspicious activity in the 1900 block of Sycamore Drive, when they observed a man standing near their vehicle holding bolt cutters.
The suspect was also seen adjusting a lawnmower in their own vehicle. The witness presumed the suspect may have stolen gardening equipment and reported the man to the police, describing the suspect’s vehicle as a blue Nissan Rogue last seen traveling westbound on Huntington Drive from Del Mar Avenue.
Officers conducted an area check for the suspect’s vehicle and located the vehicle making a right turn onto St. Albans Road from westbound Huntington Drive. Officers observed a female driver and two male passengers and continued to follow the vehicle until enough patrol vehicles were able to assist with a high-risk traffic enforcement stop of the suspect’s vehicle.
On Los Robles Avenue, just north of Old Mill Road, officers stopped the vehicle and detained all three suspects for further investigation. A search of the suspect’s vehicle yielded a gas-powered lawnmower and gas-powered trimmer, which were later confirmed to be stolen from the victim’s work truck. These items were properly identified by the victim and were returned during the investigation.
The suspects were placed in custody and transported to Pasadena City Jail for booking. The trio were booked on charges, including burglary, grand theft, violation of a restraining order, conspiracy to commit a crime, possession of drug paraphernalia and obstructing/delaying a police investigation.
One of the men was issued an own recognizance citation to appear in court at a later date per the new Los Angeles County Superior Court pre-arraignment release protocols. The other two suspects were transported to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department correctional facilities for housing.
First published in the Jan. 18 issue of the San Marino Tribune
