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Five people, including minors, were arrested on suspicion of ransacking a shop in the Ontario Mills mall and stealing $5,000 worth of clothing.
The Ontario Police Department responded to an emergency call on May 8 of a group of four white-masked robbers stealing clothing from the Polo Ralph Lauren store, near the mall’s south entrance.
Security footage captured the robbers, in dark clothing, ransacking the store and grabbing as much merchandise as they could, according to KTLA5.
The four then fled in a getaway car before police arrived. It is not clear if there was a fifth person in the car waiting for the rest of the group.
Ontario has specific police units assigned to Ontario Mills that specialize in retail theft.
Police serving a search warrant recovered the stolen merchandise as well as three firearms, one of which was stolen.
(Ontario Police Department)
Law enforcement was able to get a license plate number from the vehicle when the group fled, said Sgt. Joseph Estrada of the Ontario Police Department.
By putting the license plate number into the police department’s Real Time Information Center, officers were able to identify the car and found it to be related to another theft that the Montclair Police Department was investigating, according to the Ontario Police Department.
Details about the Montclair police investigation were not immediately available.
In collaboration with the Montclair Police Department, officers located the car and the five suspects.
Jovon Wagoner, 18, of Ontario and Alexander Dorantes, 19, of Corona were arrested on suspicion of grand theft, conspiracy to commit a crime, shoplifting and possession of stolen property. Three others were also arrested, but their names are not being released because they are minors.
Ontario police officers later served a search warrant at a related residence and recovered all the Polo Ralph Lauren merchandise. Police also discovered three firearms, one of which was a stolen handgun.
Wagoner was charged by the San Bernardino District Attorney’s Office with grand theft, possession of stolen property, conspiracy to commit a crime and shoplifting. Dorantes was charged with burglary and conspiracy to commit a crime.
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