Nine Teen-Agers Arrested in Series of Car Burglaries
Police have arrested nine Long Beach teen-agers in connection with a string of more than 100 car burglaries and acts of vandalism over the last week, authorities said Thursday.
Three boys and a girl, all aged 14, surrendered to police in the parking lot of the Los Padrinos Juvenile Detention Center in Downey after leading officers on a pursuit through nine Los Angeles County communities, Cypress Police Lt. Jim Weuve said. The suspects were not identified because they are juveniles.
The chase began just before midnight Wednesday when Cypress police responded to a report of a suspicious-looking car in the vicinity of Walker Street and Orange Avenue, Weuve said. Minutes later, another caller reported an auto burglary in the same area.
Police tried to stop the car, but the driver sped away through Cypress and onto the northbound San Diego Freeway, Weuve said. The car had been reported stolen in Costa Mesa, he said.
The four occupants were arrested on suspicion of auto theft and possession of stolen property, Weuve said. All four were released to their parents, he said.
Five other teens were arrested after Cypress police received information about a second suspicious car involved in the auto burglary, Weuve said.
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