Two suspects were arrested for the burglary of a Main Street bike store after the owner witnessed the crime via security cameras.
According to the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD), on July 18 around 5:26 a.m., officers responded to a burglary in process at a bike store in the 2900 block of Main Street.
“The owner of the shop was monitoring the store via security cameras and reported several subjects inside the store,” police say.
Arriving officers set up a perimeter and contacted one of the subjects, later identified as 19-year-old Sergio Garcia of Los Angeles, to the rear of the location.
“Garcia was standing behind a sedan, unsuccessfully attempting to close the trunk of the vehicle with two bicycles sticking out,” police said.
According to the SMPD, another subject, 25-year-old Chris Hernandez, was apprehended as he fled southbound down the alley west of Main Street.
“The suspects used a bolt cutter or other tool to defeat the store’s security gate and then smashed the window with a hammer to gain access to the store. Taken from the store were three electric bikes, two of which were recovered from the car and another found in the alley nearby with the store tags still attached,” police say.
Also located in the trunk of the vehicle was an electric scooter identified by the store manager as having been stolen earlier in the week in a separate burglary at the same store, the SMPD added.
Garcia and Hernandez were arrested and transported to the Santa Monica Jail where they were booked for possession of burglary tools and 496(a) receiving stolen property.
