Detectives are continuing to search for two remaining suspects with additional arrests expected
Two men were arrested and $50,000 worth of stolen copper wire was recovered after Los Angeles police interrupted a theft in progress early Tuesday morning in Mission Hills, authorities said.
Around 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 21, officers from the LAPD Mission Area Division responded to a report of suspects cutting copper wire from an electrical pole in the 15000 block of Germain Street, according to police.
When officers arrived, they found four suspects at the scene with large sections of copper wire and metal cutting tools on the ground. Three suspects fled on foot after ignoring officers’ commands.
Police arrested Concepcion Vasquez, 53, and Jose Garcia Avila, 51, who were booked at Van Nuys Jail on suspicion of grand theft under California Penal Code 487(a). The case will be submitted to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing, police said.
The estimated value of the stolen and recovered copper wire was about $50,000. Detectives are continuing to search for the two remaining suspects and said additional arrests are expected.
Anyone with information is urged to contact LAPD Mission Area Detectives at (818) 838-9810. Anonymous tips can be submitted through L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS or online at www.lacrimestoppers.org.
