Beverly Hills Patch: Beverly Hills Police Arrest 5 in Copper Wire Thefts
/Beverly Hills Police Arrest 5 in Copper Wire Thefts
The following information was supplied by the Beverly Hills Police Department. Arrests do not indicate a conviction.
Posted by Matthew Sanderson (Editor) , December 06, 2013 at 03:56 PM
Beverly Hills police took five men into custody early Friday morning stemming from several copper wire thefts over a couple months.
At approximately 1:50 a.m. Friday, a Beverly Hills police officer was on patrol in the area of Rexford Drive and Lomitas Avenue. The officer noticed that the city street lights were out in the immediate area and began checking for criminal activity.
The officer then located and stopped a suspicious vehicle, and the on scene investigation, coupled with evidence inside the vehicle, determined that the five occupants were involved in tampering with electrical street lights and the theft of copper wiring.
They were taken into custody and transported to the Beverly Hills Police Department and booked on numerous theft related charges. They are:
- Michael Padilla, 18, Los Angeles
- Froiln Silva, 18, Los Angeles
- Brian Gomez, 19, Los Angeles
- Horacio Galindo, 18, Los Angeles
- Francisco Martinez, 18, Los Angeles
Due to recent thefts of copper wire occurring in Beverly Hills, the BHPD asks that residents remain vigilant and report all suspicious activity. Call the police if you notice:
- A section of streetlights that goes off suddenly for no apparent reason.
- An open access cover in the sidewalk.
- Workers at night that are not wearing city uniforms and safety gear.
- Workers working at night that are not driving city marked vehicles (Beverly Hills' street light crews have trucks with city shields and are numbered in the 600’s)