Way to go Santa! Would be car thieves hit the wrong car at the wrong time. Santa and his helpers were watching.
Detectives received information about three suspicious men casing vehicles in the shopping center parking lots. One of the undercover detectives spotted these three men as they were in the act of stealing an older white Honda CR-V. Two of the men saw the detective and ran off but were quickly apprehended by the other officers.
One suspect resisted arrest but was taken into custody with the help of our undercover Santa, and the second was detained by the undercover elf. The third suspect who actually stole the Honda was able to flee before he could be stopped by officers.
The stolen Honda was found abandoned nearby and suspect driver was not located, but detectives have him identified and will be making an arrest for car theft in the future. Of the two suspects detained, one was identified and later released. The other was arrested for possession of illegal drugs and resisting arrest.
This was all went down in Riverside California. Riverside Police Department’s Property Crimes Unit, assisted by officers from the School Resource Officer Unit, conducted a holiday enforcement program that targeted retail theft at one of the busier shopping centers in Riverside.