Anaheim : Man, Boy Arrested in Theft of $1,750 Macaw

A Southgate man and an 11-year-old boy were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of stealing a $1,750 macaw from an Anaheim animal care vocational school, and it was learned that their car had been stolen in Los Angeles County, police said.

A Capuchin monkey named Nino, valued at $1,500 to $2,000, escaped from the school during the incident and was found drowned in a neighborhood swimming pool, police said.

David Leon Marquet, 19, was booked into the Anaheim City Jail on suspicion of burglary, grand theft auto, possession of stolen property, assault and battery on a police officer and reckless driving, Sgt. Jack Jansen said. Bail was set at $25,000. Jansen said the 11-year-old, a Bell Gardens resident, was booked into Orange County Juvenile Hall.

Detectives said the suspects were acquaintances and police were trying to find out how the pair knew that the animals were kept in trailers at the school--an animal care center and veterinary hospital.

An officer responding to a silent alarm at the center, located at 2360 W. La Palma Ave., arrived at 2:30 a.m. and found a brown Pontiac speeding out of the parking lot with its lights off. Jansen said the officer followed the car and alerted other officers.

The car crashed into a Glendale Federal Savings building about two miles away. Jansen said that Marquet was captured, allegedly slugged an officer, escaped for a brief time and was recaptured. The boy was coaxed from his hiding spot beneath a car by an Anaheim police dog, Jansen said.

Officers checked the registration of the car and found it had been reported stolen in Los Angeles County on May 19. A purse found inside the car with its owner’s identification had been reported stolen May 20 in Stanton, police said.

The monkey, meanwhile, escaped into the surrounding residential neighborhood after the two allegedly cut its cage open, officers said.