End-of-School Blues : 10 Taft Celebrants Linked to Theft of 6 Toyota Vans

Auto-theft detectives have begun combing their files to see how many missing vans might be linked to 10 Taft High School students arrested as they left their Woodland Hills campus for an end-of-the-school-year beach party in two stolen vans, Los Angeles police said Monday.

The boys, all between 15 and 17 years old, have been linked to the thefts of at least six 1985 and 1986 Toyota vans, apparently chosen because they are easier than some other models to steal, Detective Jim Dieli said. None of the students--who were detained on charges including grand theft auto, driving without an owner’s permission and receiving stolen property--appear to have criminal records, Dieli said.

Several told police that they were leaving for an end-of-school beach party when they were arrested after classes, Dieli said. But he said police were still probing whether the vans had been stolen for that event only or over a period of time for other purposes as well.

A campus police officer became suspicious of a van in the school parking lot Friday and confirmed from its license plate that it had been stolen. He called Los Angeles police, who found three other vans on the lot that had been reported stolen in the San Fernando Valley and West Los Angeles, Dieli said.

Officers placed the vans under surveillance and watched the students unsuccessfully attempt to start two of them before piling into the remaining two and driving out of the parking lot, Dieli said.

Officers halted the vans and arrested the occupants, he said.

A fifth Toyota van was recovered in downtown Los Angeles and linked to the group after its owner discovered Taft textbooks inside. The owner brought the books to the West Valley police station Friday--coincidentally as the students were being detained, Dieli said. The owner of the books was one of the youths who had already been arrested, Dieli said.

The group is also suspected of the theft of a sixth Toyota van because it was the same type as the others and was found downtown near the home of one of the suspects, Dieli said.

Discovery of the vans abandoned downtown and the pattern of thefts of a certain type of vehicle led investigators to look into whether the group had been responsible for other thefts.

The students were released to the custody of their parents, and their cases have been referred to the Los Angeles County Probation Department, which reviews all matters involving juveniles, Dieli said.