ARCADIA >> A man who brandished a knife in an attempt to steal woman’s athletic shoes from an Arcadia department store Saturday found police officers waiting for him when he arrived home in El Monte, officials said.
Cuong Van Tran, 43, was booked on suspicion of robbery following the crime, reported about 4 p.m. at a JCPenney store at the Westfield Santa Anita shopping mall, 400 S. Baldwin Ave., according to Arcadia police officials and Los Angeles County booking records.
Store security spotted Tran trying to steal Nike women’s athletic shoes and tried to detain him, Arcadia police Sgt. John Bonomo said.
“(Tran) brandished a knife. That’s when security stepped back,” the sergeant said. Tran dropped the shoes — valued at about $400 — and fled, but security officers were able to take down the license plate number of his car.
Arcadia and El Monte officers headed to a home in the 3000 block of Sastre Avenue in El Monte that was listed in the vehicle’s registration, Bonomo said.
“The car actually showed up while we were down there,” he said. Officers arrested Tran without a struggle.
According to county booking records, Tran was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail pending a scheduled arraignment Tuesday in Pasadena Superior Court.