California Law Enforcement Nabs Suspects Accused of Stealing $23K of Lululemon Merch
A burglary at a Lululemon store in Napa, Calif. on Monday led several law enforcement agencies on a multi-jurisdictional chase, culminating in the recovery of $23,000-worth of leggings.
The Napa Police Department received a call around 4 p.m. on Monday alerting officers to a theft at the active apparel store, located on First Street in one of the city’s popular shopping districts. A Napa PD officer quickly located the fleeing vehicle and attempted an enforcement stop, but the car, bursting with suspects and pilfered product, zoomed away.
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Assisted by American Canyon Police Department, Napa PD gave chase until the vehicle reached Interstate 80. California Highway Patrol (CHP) took over the pursuit as the getaway car reached the freeway, crossing the Carquinez Bridge into the East Bay, CHP’s Golden Gate Division public information officer Andrew Barclay told Sourcing Journal.
CHP followed the vehicle on the ground and by air, with a plane keeping tabs on the suspects’ movements. Ground units backed off once the car entered the city of Richmond, with the air unit continuing to follow. About 20 minutes later, the vehicle, driving through Oakland’s Lake Merritt neighborhood, crashed and overturned, Barclay said.
Four individuals in the car were medically cleared and taken into custody, with CHP and the Oakland Police Department arriving on the scene quickly after the collision.
Napa PD told Sourcing Journal that one adult, Carlos Trochez of San Bruno, was booked on charges of grand theft, organized retail theft, receiving stolen property, conspiracy to commit a felony, and fleeing in a motor vehicle with the intent to evade while demonstrating a wanton disregard for the safety of other persons or property. Three juveniles were booked on similar charges.
While law enforcement initially estimated the value of the stolen goods to be around $2,500, the investigation revealed that more than 200 pairs of Lululemon leggings had been stolen with an approximate total value of $23,000, Napa PD said.
Barclay explained that cross-jurisdictional collaboration has become increasingly necessary when it comes to catching perpetrators of organized retail crime.
CHP’s Organized Retail Theft Task Force (ORCTF), established almost five years ago, supports local police departments across the state. According to Barclay, CHP is at the forefront of the statewide effort to curb organized retail crime because it has no jurisdictional boundaries, and is able to pursue criminals like Trochez as they travel across city lines.
The Golden Gate Division serves as the CHP command center for the greater San Francisco Bay Area, comprised of nine Northern California counties. Seven other divisions across California make up the CHP network, including the Northern Division, the Valley Division, the Central Division, the Southern Division, the Border Division, the Coastal Division and the Inland Division. All divisions contain officers dedicated to the ORCTF.
Barclay said CHP’s ORCTF recently tracked a case that began in the Bay Area and ended 500 miles south in San Diego, illustrating the efficacy of the agency’s statewide coverage.
Governor Gavin Newsom has been bullish about bolstering local law enforcement and CHP’s capacity to pursue organized retail crime as a part of his Real Public Safety Plan. Last fall, he announced the state’s biggest single investment to aid statewide organized retail crime-fighting units, awarding more than $267 million to 55 local law enforcement agencies. California’s 2023-2024 budget contains more than $800 million allocated to programs to improve public safety, including tackling rising retail crime.
