Suspects arrested by police following overnight break-in at The Lakes Mall.
Police were called to The Lakes Mall, 5600 Harvey in Fruitport Township, around 4:15 a.m. on Thursday, June 28, 2012. A mall security officer discovered two male subjects inside the mall. The mall was not open for business at the time.
Upon encountering the mall security officer, the two male subjects fled on foot out of the mall, dropping stolen items along the way. Police were contacted immediately, and police units from Fruitport Township Police Department, Norton Shores Police Department, Muskegon County Sheriff Department, and Michigan State Police responded to the area in an attempt to locate the suspects. They set up a perimeter, and a K-9 unit from the Muskegon County Sheriff Department responded to the scene to assist with suspect tracking and recovery of discarded stolen items.
Police captured one of the suspects near Safeguard Storage (which is located on Independence Drive near Meijer). A second suspect was located and taken into custody by police at a residence on Airport Road. Both suspects are juveniles – both 16 years old from the Holland area. Their names are not being released by police. Both suspects were lodged at the Muskegon County Juvenile Detention Center and will appear in juvenile court later today.
Multiple kiosk businesses in the mall had been targeted during this incident. Police recovered an undisclosed amount of stolen cash and other stolen property estimated to be valued at over $5,000.00.
Police are still investigating how the suspects gained entry into the mall while it was closed.
No further information is being released at this time.
