5 Suspects Arrested in Car Burglary Spree
Newport Beach police on Monday arrested five people who allegedly broke into eight cars--all of them Hondas or Acuras, officials said.
Four adult men and one teenage girl were arrested on suspicion of felony auto burglary in connection with a string of break-ins before 5 a.m., Police Sgt. Mike McDermott said. The adults are Trai Phan, 26, of Hawthorne; Tam Nguyen, 19, of Huntington Beach; Andy Nguyen, 19, of Westminster; and Nam Mi, 18, of Gardena.
McDermott said the group worked in neighborhoods north of Coast Highway near Goldenrod Avenue. They allegedly stole about $1,500 in car stereo equipment, cell phones and compact discs, which were recovered by police.
A neighbor who heard a noise and then saw someone breaking into cars called police.
McDermott said car burglars sometimes learn how to break into a particular make of car, which may account for why only cars made by Honda and its luxury line, Acura, were targeted.
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