Men Suspected of Committing 21 Burglaries Over 3 Months Arrested in Santa Ana
A nearly three-month burglary spree of collectible coin and precious metal stores as well as a federal firearms licensee has finally ended with the arrest of two suspects in Santa Ana.
The suspects, who are believed to have committed and attempted 21 burglaries across California and Nevada between July 10 and September 29, 2019, have been identified as 20-year-old Caleb Jamal Griffin of Long Beach, California and 49-year-old Owen Lazaro Thompson of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Griffin was taken into custody on September 30th, while he was in the process of burglarizing a coin dealer. Thompson was arrested at home without incident on the same day. A search warrant lead to the discovery of items likely stolen during the crime spree. Griffin and Thompson are suspected of burglarizing over $292,000 worth of items, and both face charges of interstate transportation of stolen goods.
Prior to their arrest, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)—composed of detectives from Brea, Fullerton, Signal Hill, and Huntington Beach—collaborated with local law enforcement a task force in order identify, investigate, and conduct extensive surveillance of the suspects.
The burglarizing patterns were relatively consistent. An affidavit filed with the complaint alleges that Griffin and Thompson typically entered the businesses between 1 AM and 5 AM by breaking the front glass window, occasionally pulling off security gates with a tow line attached to their Jeep SUV. The suspects were usually in and out within 90 seconds.
“During one burglary in Fullerton, Griffin and Thompson allegedly drove a vehicle through the front of the store. During another burglary, the defendants allegedly used a blow torch to cause the store window to shatter,” according to the ATF news release.
The news release further includes a list of the 21 suspected burglaries:
Fullerton Coins, 123 N. Raymond Ave., Fullerton, California July 10;
Fullerton Coins, 123 N. Raymond Ave., Fullerton, California, July 14;
Tangible Investments, 32001 Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, California, July 27;
Covina Coin & Jewelry, 204 S. Citrus Ave., Covina, California, July 28;
Attempted burglary at About Face Coins, 475 N. Tustin St., Orange, California, Aug. 4;
Attempted burglary at Liberty Coin, 10122 Ave., Huntington Beach, California, Aug. 11;
Morgan’s Jewelers, 50-C Peninsula Center, Rolling Hills Estate, California, Aug. 13;
Morgan’s Jewelers, 22200 Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance California, Aug. 13;
Laguna Coins, 23583 Moulton Pkwy, #112, Laguna Woods, California, Aug. 16;
Sahara Coins, 7293 W. Sahara Ave., Las Vegas, Nevada, Aug. 18;
Liberty Coins, 2201 East Willow St., Signal Hill, California, Aug. 26;
CNC Coins Vault, 1814 N. Tustin Ave., Santa Ana, California, Aug. 26;
Quicksilver Coin Company, 22421 El Toro Road, #H, Lake Forest, California, Aug. 27;
Imperial Pawnbrokers, a federal firearms licensee, 777 W. Imperial Highway, Brea, California, Aug. 29;
Fullerton Coins, 123 N. Raymond Ave., Fullerton, California, Aug. 29;
Liberty Coins, 2201 East Willow St., Signal Hill, California, Sept. 1;
Liberty Coin, 10122 Ave., Huntington Beach, California, Sept. 8;
Las Vegas Coin Company, 9555 S. Eastern Ave., Las Vegas, Nevada, Sept, 17;
Alhambra Coin Center, 254 E. Main St., Alhambra, California, Sept. 21;
Hough Coin, 16816-D Main St., Hesperia, California, Sept. 24;
Fullerton Coins, 123 N. Raymond, Fullerton Ave., California, Sept. 29.
