3 Arrests Follow Patrol Increase at The City Mall
An increase by Orange police in patrolling The City shopping mall paid off just three days after it began when officers stopped three men who were allegedly “cruising” the parking lot, discovered they were driving a stolen car and arrested them on suspicion of auto theft.
Lt. Trey Sirks said the car the three were riding in, a 1977 Volkswagen Scirocco, had been reported stolen five weeks earlier from San Diego.
Since Monday, Sirks said, Orange police have assigned two additional patrol cars to the shopping center along with a regular unit. The action was prompted by a rash of auto thefts, shoplifting complaints and thefts of property from parked cars.
About 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sirks said, a patrol car found the three men stopped near the Bank of America towers in the shopping center, studying other cars. Booked into County Jail on suspicion of auto theft were Juan M. Perez, 22, Guillermo R. Meza, 22, and Martin Romero, 36, all of Anaheim.
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