Thanks to an observant citizen who called Roseville Police to report suspicious activity, two suspected car burglars were arrested and stolen property was returned to four victims.
At about 4 p.m. Thursday, January 13, a citizen called police to report two men in a tan four-door sedan cruising a parking lot in the 300 block of North Sunrise Avenue, looking into the windows of parked cars. Roseville Police officers responded and soon located the suspects in another store parking lot nearby. A search of their car produced laptop computers, stereos and other items that were eventually linked to four vehicle break-ins that had just occurred in parking lots on North Sunrise Avenue and Fairway Drive.
Officers contacted the victims and returned their property. Other suspected stolen property items, including purses and women’s clothing, was recovered and is being stored at the police department until the victims can be located.
Luis Alberto Alaniz, 21, and Steven Robert Bustamante, 23, both of Sacramento, were arrested on suspicion of burglary, possession of stolen property and criminal gang participation. Bustamante was released on a $50,000 bail bond, and Alaniz remains in custody in the Placer County Jail on $100,000 bail.
Roseville Police Chief Mike Blair said, “The victims in this case were very lucky to get their property back. Most property crimes are crimes of opportunity–they happen very quickly–and most stolen property is never recovered. Our thanks goes to the observant citizen who saw suspicious activity and took the time to call police.”