Retail theft operation leads to 7 arrests in El Cajon
EL CAJON, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — Seven people were arrested and about a thousand dollars worth of merchandise was recovered after a retail theft operation in El Cajon last Friday, according to authorities.
On Friday around 9 a.m., according to the El Cajon Police Department, loss prevention agents from Home Depot alerted detectives and officers about people leaving the store located in the 200 block of Fletcher Parkway with stolen merchandise. Police said the suspects were apprehended.
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In the Home Depot parking lot, authorities said a man broke into an unoccupied SUV, appeared to steal an item from inside the vehicle and then got into another car with two other men.
The victim of the car break-in apparently had recently withdrawn several thousand dollars from an ATM and left the money in the car before heading into the store, according to police. They said the three men had followed the victim from the ATM to Home Depot.
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The suspects, who were from Houston, Tex., were detained by officers and booked into jail on charges of burglary and conspiracy to commit a crime. They were identified as 30-year-old Darius Russell, 32-year-old Julan Fite and 36-year-old Fredrick Pierson. They were found to have more than $20,000 in cash at the time they were detained by police.
Authorities said the suspects have been linked to similar thefts. Given that they are from out of state and may have committed crimes across different jurisdictions, El Cajon Police said the FBI will be reviewing the case.
According to El Cajon Police, the total operation at Home Depot lasted six hours and the shoplifters were released with notices to appear in court.
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