Carjacker uses stolen car while shoplifting and gets nailed
The term “killing two birds with one stone” became intimately familiar to two deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Palmdale Station when they arrested 26-year-old Lancaster resident Santiago Orozco in connection with a string of shoplifting cases after pursuing him for a separate carjacking.
According to a press release, on November 25th and 26th, police received two separate reports that a Hispanic male had stolen alcohol from a Palmdale gas station convenience store before fleeing in a golden colored SUV. After investigating the reported license number, deputies learned that the vehicle had been reported stolen from the Los Angeles area on November 19th in a carjacking incident.
Orozco was with the stolen SUV at this AM/PM when the deputies spotted him with the car
Two deputies began to patrol local gas stations in hopes of finding leads on the stolen vehicle and the man driving it. Their efforts were rewarded when they spotted Santiago Orozco standing in front of the gold SUV parked in front of an AM/PM gas station on the 400 block of West Palmdale Boulevard.
When Orozco saw the officers approaching, he ran towards a nearby hotel before being chased down, and was arrested without further incident. When they searched Orozco’s person, deputies found brass knuckles, a dagger, and methamphetamine. Searching the stolen SUV, officers further found a BB gun matching the description of the weapon used in the carjacking, as well as credit cards, check books and personal items that were later identified in relation to several burglaries over the past month.
After being booked at the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station, Orozco faces a laundry list of charges including vehicle theft, possession of a controlled substance, bringing drugs into a jail facility, possession of a dagger, possession of brass knuckles, burglary, and receiving stolen property. The Palmdale Sheriff Station’s Detective Bureau continues to investigate the case.
The representatives from the LASD were not immediately available for comment.
Read More:
The AV News: Deputies Start After Shoplifter, Nab Car Thief Instead
