GARDEN GROVE : Officers Smoke Out Suspects but Get Sick

Two burglary suspects and three police officers became ill from inhaling toxic pesticides late Monday night after the suspects were found hiding under a tent that blanketed a condominium complex being fumigated for termites.

Lt. Jim Woods said police received a call at 9:40 p.m. from a resident who told them that three men were seen going in and out of the six-unit Edgewood Drive complex.

Police found that three condominiums had been broken into, with belongings piled outside the units. They also found a gas mask outside the tent.

One of the officers then saw three men trying to run from the complex. After setting up a perimeter, Woods said, police began a 90-minute search and started to pump out the gas that filled the condominiums.

A man later identified as Robert Spell, 18, of Huntington Beach was seen running along the complex’s rooftop during the search, Woods said. As he jumped off, he broke his leg.

Spell and Michael Rodriguez, 22, of Garden Grove were eventually found under the huge tent, suffering from inhalation of toxic chemicals, Woods said.

The officers became sickened by fumes while they searched in vain for a third burglar, whom they thought was still in one of the fumigated units.

“We tried to ventilate the place as much as we could,” Woods said. “We didn’t want the third guy to die.”

Spell and Rodriguez were arrested on suspicion of burglarizing the vacant units, Police Lt. John Woods said. They and the officers were treated at Garden Grove Medical Center for inhalation of the poisonous anti-termite chemical.

Spell was later transferred to Western Medical Center-Anaheim, where he was held in the prison ward, Woods said. Rodriguez was transferred to Orange County Jail.