On June 29, 2016 at approximately 12:57 AM, as a result of an increase in overnight smash and grab burglaries of food establishments, Covina Police Officers were patrolling a designated area in the city that has recently seen an increase in window smash burglaries. While in the area, a Covina Police Officer observed two suspects at the front door of a closed donut shop. As the two suspects observed the Covina Police unit, they immediately began walking away from the business. As the officer neared the suspects to contact them, both suspects started running away from the officer and as they did, paper currency started falling out of a backpack one of the suspects was carrying. The two suspects began jumping fences and eventually jumped into the Los Angeles County Flood Control Channel. A containment of the area was quickly established and it was determined the suspects were attempting to escape out of the flood control channel by climbing through a series of sewer channels. As officers were preparing to search the sewer channels with the assistance of a West Covina Police Department K-9, a Covina Officer observed the subjects hiding near the mouth of the storm drain that runs under the 800 block of W. Covina Blvd. Because the suspects were still within the storm drain and under the street, the suspects were handcuffed to the metal grading of the storm drain until they could be removed from the storm drain with the assistance of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Both suspects were arrested for burglary and transported to the Covina Police Department for booking. One suspect is being housed at the Covina Police Department pending his arraignment Citrus Superior Court on July 1, 2016 and the second suspect, a juvenile, was transported to Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall pending his arraignment at Pomona Juvenile Court.
Any information or questions regarding this crime, please contact the Covina Police Department Detective Bureau (626) 384-5628, the Watch Commander (626) 384-5665 or Crime Stoppers (800) 222-TIPS(8477). Refer to Covina PD case # 16-18457.
