Anaheim, CA– A total of eight suspects, all of whom are under 24 years old, have been arrested following a jewelry store burglary that resulted in two separate crashes in Anaheim and Fullerton, police say.
The incident unfolded on Friday afternoon around 2:30 p.m., the Anaheim Police Department said in a media release issued Saturday morning, when officers responded to Classic Jewelers, located on East Santa Ana Canyon Road, on a commercial burglary call.
“Employees reported that multiple suspects intentionally rammed a dark-colored Nissan Rogue into the front of the business to gain entry and steal jewelry,” Anaheim police said. “During the burglary, the suspects also stole a firearm from behind the counter that belonged to the business.”
The suspects then fled in two Dodge Charger sedans, police added, further elaborating that the Nissan that the group used as a battering ram and subsequently left at the scene was determined to be stolen.
It wasn’t long until an officer with Anaheim PD observed a vehicle matching the description of one of the suspect vehicles near East Street and the 91 Freeway, and they began following it as it exited at Lemon Street and continued northbound.
“At that time, the officer did not initiate a traffic stop, and no police pursuit was underway. As the vehicle approached Orangethorpe Avenue, it was involved in a multi-vehicle traffic collision,” APD said in Saturday morning’s media release. All four occupants – the driver and three passengers – fled from the vehicle but were later located and arrested, police confirmed.
Meanwhile, an Anaheim Police Department air unit located what was believed to be the second suspect vehicle near Harbor and Brea boulevards in Fullerton. This vehicle, too, was involved in a multi-car crash at the intersection of Euclid Street and Malvern Avenue; like the other incident, no officers from Fullerton or Anaheim were in pursuit of the vehicle – rather, the officers arrived on scene as the collision occurred, APD explained.
Immediately after the crash at Euclid and Malvern, two men believed to be involved in the burglary were arrested, and a handgun was recovered at the scene. Another two men were arrested hours later in the rear yard of separate residences, Anaheim police confirmed.
“Detectives are working to determine whether it is the same firearm and jewelry that were stolen during the burglary,” authorities said Saturday.
Anaheim Police Department officials identified the eight suspects as:
Jose Andres Martinez-Colindres, 24, of Inglewood
Leontrey Gipson, 23, of Los Angeles
Deondre Jones, 23, of Los Angeles
Tylaind Brown, 20, of Compton
Khilen Toles, 20, of Inglewood
Khamari Toles, 20, of Inglewood
Latrell Mathews, 19, of Los Angeles
Unnamed 17-year-old male resident of Los Angeles
Each of the seven adult suspects were arrested and booked on suspicion of multiple felonies pending review by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, police said. The lone juvenile was released to a guardian pending further proceedings.
The owner of Classic Jewelers, Ramzy Tabello, told KTLA that the group got away with about $1 million worth of gold and jewelry in addition to his gun.
“They started smashing my showcases…they ran to me and grabbed my gun,” Tabello said. “My life flashed before my eyes.”
Several uninvolved motorists were hospitalized in the two separate crashes, but authorities stated their injuries were “non-life-threatening.”
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