Suspect in Computer Thefts Arrested : Crime: Man linked to a series of Los Angeles-area robberies is captured in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia authorities have arrested a man linked to a ring of Los Angeles-area thieves who robbed people trying to sell expensive computers through classified ads, police said Tuesday.

Kenneth Worline was arrested about 11:30 p.m. Monday as he stepped off a plane at Philadelphia International Airport, said Detective Bill Speer of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division, which is investigating the series of at least nine robberies.

“I think he was quite surprised,” said Speer. “He probably never thought we’d track him down.”

Worline, 23, of Inglewood, is one of several men suspected of going to victims’ homes under the pretense of looking at the top-of-the-line Macintosh computer systems they had advertised for sale, and then stealing the machines and other valuables, said Speer. He said that Philadelphia authorities arrested Worline on a fugitive warrant after being contacted by Los Angeles police, and that he will be extradited as soon as possible.

Police said that Worline was the bandit who shot two Reseda men Saturday night while attempting to rob them of a computer, and that he suffered gunshot wounds to the buttocks after being shot by one of his victims in a gun battle.

After escaping the victims’ house, Worline returned to South-Central Los Angeles and called 911 for medical treatment, reporting that he had been wounded in a drive-by shooting, police said.

By then, police already had identified Worline as a suspect and were seeking him for questioning, said Speer. An arrest warrant was obtained Monday, when authorities learned that he was in the process of fleeing to Philadelphia to escape arrest, Speer said.

The armed thieves responded to ads in the weekly Recycler, a classified ad publication, and have struck at homes on the Westside, South Bay and other locations.

“We do have outstanding suspects in this,” Speer said. “We will attempt to identify them, but Kenneth definitely is a part of the ring.”

Worline will be charged with three counts of attempted murder, since three people were in the house Saturday night when he allegedly tried to rob them before exchanging gunfire with one resident, Speer said. He said Worline will also be charged with one count each of attempted robbery and burglary.

After Worline called 911, he was taken to Martin Luther King Jr.-Drew Medical Center where he was treated for gunshot wounds. At the hospital, he was interviewed by police, who were unable to find any witnesses to verify his account of a drive-by shooting. That interview, however, helped police corroborate other evidence linking Worline to the Saturday shooting, Speer said.

He said the gunshot victims have identified Worline through photographs.

One of the victims of Saturday night’s shooting remained in critical but stable condition at a Northridge hospital, with wounds in the chest and leg. The other victim was treated for a superficial gunshot wound to the chest and released.