Four Teenagers Arrested for Burglary After Driving Stolen Vehicle Into Store, Allegedly Stealing Over $9,000 Worth of Clothing
Four teenage suspects were arrested last week for allegedly driving a stolen vehicle into the entrance of a Fresno, Calif. store and taking more than $9,000 worth of clothing.
The incident occurred at a Shiekh Shoes location in the Fashion Fair Mall shortly before 3 a.m. on Jan. 31. Officers with the Fresno Police Department reported to the scene, after being notified about a burglary in progress, according to Luke Tran, a public information officer. “The suspects used a stolen vehicle to ram the business doors, where they stole multiple items and then fled in the vehicle,” Tran said.
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After a description of the vehicle was broadcast, a deputy with the Fresno County Sheriff’s office located the vehicle nearby and initiated a short pursuit before the vehicle was abandoned by the suspects at Fresno Avenue and Fairmont Avenue.
With the assistance of multiple officers, including some from the Fresno County Sheriff’s office and the California Highway Patrol, a perimeter was set and air support was used to help locate the four suspects, who were then taken into custody. More than 90 clothing items with a value of more than $9,000 had been taken from the Shiekh Shoes store, Tran said. All of the items were returned to the business and no injuries were reported.
An employee at the Shiekh Shoes store, who declined to provide a name, said that additional merchandise had also been stolen, including non-apparel items. The staffer estimated that the total amount of the goods that were taken was between $10,000 and $15,000. “They pretty much grabbed everything off [the racks and shelves.]” the employee said, declining to name which brands had been taken from the store. The police report did not list any brand names for the stolen merchandise.
Last week’s incident was the second time that Shiekh Shoes store’s entrance had been damaged by a vehicle driven by would-be thieves, according to the employee. The other incident took place in the middle of last year, they said. Adidas, Nike, LA Gear, Jordan, Champion, Puma, New Balance and Crocs are some of the brands the retail chain offers.
The four suspects are juveniles, two 15-year-olds and two 17-year-olds. They were all arrested and booked into the Juvenile Justice Center for violations of burglary, possession of a stolen vehicle and conspiracy to commit a felony. They remain in custody. Fresno police officials did not share their genders. In 2023, there were 1,158 juveniles arrested in California for burglary — of which 940 were male and 218 were female.
The Shiekh Shoes store employee said it was hard to say whether shoplifting is still a problem or if it is getting better. He indicated thieves are indiscriminate about which brands they take. “I’m pretty sure they always grab whatever they can. Maybe they come in the day before [to case things out.] We don’t know,” the staffer said.
Although the retailer has not hired in-store security as a result of last week’s crime, it does have access to the Fashion Fair Mall’s security.
The California-based Shiekh Shoes started to expand its footprint in 1991 and now has more than 100 stores in multiple states. Taking a service-first approach to customer service, the chain has locations in several of California’s leading shopping malls. The company also has a distribution center in Ontario, Calif., that is run by a full-time staff.
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