Men suspected of auto break-ins; owners of stolen property sought

PICO RIVERA — Sheriff’s deputies jailed two men suspected of at least five car break-ins after catching them in the act late Tuesday, authorities said.
Servando Villalobos, 34, and Rodolfo Lemus, 25, were booked on suspicion of auto burglary, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Robert Smith said. Their cities of residence were not available.
They were being held in lieu of $40,000 bail each pending their initial court appearances, according to county booking records.
Sgt. Joe Van Damme was on patrol about 7:50 p.m. in the parking lot of L.A. Fitness, 8909 Washington Blvd., when he spotted a man breaking into a car, then getting into a Chevy Tahoe which drove away, the lieutenant said.
Van Damme followed the Tahoe and called for backup before deputies stopped the car and detained Villalobos and Lemus, Smith said.
Inside the Tahoe, he added, deputies found four third-row seats stolen from SUVs, ID cards, cell phones and other stolen items.
Items taken from the L.A. Fitness car break-in were returned to their owner, as well as items stolen in a car burglary at Target, 8800 Whittier Blvd., and one of the third-row seats, which was found to have been stolen from a car parked at Chuck E. Cheese’s restaurant, 6005 Rosemead Blvd., Smith said.
Investigators were still trying to find the owners of the other three third-row seats Wednesday, Smith said. It was not known where they had been stolen.
Anyone who recently had an SUV third-row seat stolen in the area recently is advised to call the sheriff’s Pico Rivera Station at 562-949-2421.

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email