Man Charged in Irvine Burglaries

A man who police say may have burglarized 200 homes in Irvine over the last five years was arrested this week.

Raymond Lopez of Downey had been under surveillance for several weeks by Irvine police because he had been seen cruising around in an area that was identified as a “hot spot” for burglaries, said Lt. Jeff Love, an Irvine police spokesman.

Lopez, 47, was arrested Wednesday in Rossmoor after being connected to three burglaries in Irvine through DNA collected at the scene.

He has been charged with burglary, attempted burglary and possession of burglary tools. He is being held at Orange County Jail without bail.

Love said Lopez also was booked for burglaries in Cypress and Rossmoor.

Authorities said Lopez burglarized homes at night while residents were away. He mainly took cash, jewelry, rare coins and guns.

Thousands of items were recovered, including rare coins worth about $250,000, Love said. He would not say where they were discovered.

Rings, watches and loose diamonds were confiscated from a jewelry store in Bellflower, where authorities believe Lopez was selling them. They are investigating whether the owners knew the goods were stolen, Love said.