HBPD arrests 3 women suspected in grabbing, fleeing with more than $3K in CVS goods

Huntington Beach police on Monday arrested three Anaheim women on suspicion of organized retail theft, after they allegedly entered a CVS store and stuffed more than $3,000 of merchandise into large bags before fleeing in a van.

Jessica Cucilla, a Huntington Beach Police Department spokeswoman, said officers were called to the 100 block of 5th Street at around 12:30 p.m., where a reporting party described witnessing the incident of shoplifting, as the three suspects allegedly grabbed items before exiting the store toward the parking lot.

“The reporting party provided a good description of the vehicle, and officers were able to locate the vehicle,” Cuchilla said Tuesday. “They conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and arrested the three individuals.”

Three suspects —18-year-old Maria Parnica, Daniela Ciuciu, 25, and 19-year-old Maria Hornea, all residents of Anaheim — were arrested and booked on charges of grand theft shoplifting and organized retail theft with the intent to sell, exchange or return.

An image posted to HBPD’s social media accounts Tuesday showed some of the items recovered, including a giant shoulder bag filled with makeup and other beauty products and pharmacy items.

Cuchilla said while it is still unknown whether Monday’s theft was committed by a known organized theft outfit or was simply an isolated incident, the actions of the suspects fit the description of California’s penal code enough to qualify for such charges.

The code defines organized retail theft as when an individual acts in concert with others to steal merchandise from a merchant’s business with the intent to sell, exchange or return the stolen goods or works in concert with two or more people to purchase said stolen items with a similar intent. It also applies to those who act as agents to steal from a merchant as part of an organized plan.

“It could be based on the evidence and how they stole the items — they weren’t being discreet or maybe they were just filling up the bags,” Cuchilla explained. “It doesn’t necessarily mean they are a retail theft group.”