The Irvine Police Department (IPD) arrested two suspects for conspiracy to commit a burglary and an additional charge to the driver for felony evading.
On December 15, at about 7:30 p.m., an IPD officer patrolling the Turtle Rock area, where several recent residential burglaries occurred, noticed a silver Saturn Vue SUV with a partially covered license plate driving on Turtle Rock. The vehicle entered a residential track, picked up a male passenger who exited the hillside and quickly left the area. The officer initiated an enforcement stop and the driver pulled over to the side of the road on Culver Drive and Campus Drive. The passenger door opened briefly and then the vehicle took off at a high rate of speed. The officer pursued the Saturn onto the southbound I-405 freeway. The vehicle exited at Bake Parkway and collided with a sign. Two males fled from the vehicle towards the Toyota dealership on Research. The vehicle continued driving and eventually stopped at Jamboree and Main Street. The driver, 30-year-old Maecol Hernandez-Martin, was arrested for felony evading and conspiracy to commit a burglary.
Helicopters from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) and the Anaheim Police Department (APD), as well as K-9 officers from OCSD and the Laguna Beach Police Department (LBPD) responded to assist in searching for the other two subjects who fled from the vehicle. After an extensive search, 45-year-old Fabio Mejia-Pineda was located and taken into custody for conspiracy to commit a burglary. The third suspect is still outstanding. Officers searched the area near the Toyota dealership and located a discarded backpack containing burglary tools.
We are extremely grateful to our law enforcement partners for their assistance and to the diligent IPD officers who are committed to keeping our community safe.
Based on the totality of circumstances, IPD detectives believe this crew may be part of a larger network of organized criminals targeting residences in the Turtle Rock area.
Anyone with information related to this case should contact Detective Kristi Valentine at (949)724-7223 or email kvalentine@cityofirvine.org.
Please remember the following crime prevention tips:
· Install cameras (out of reach) and motion lights around your residence and check your camera alerts to make sure you know what is going on around your home
· If you will not be home, leave some lights on
· Let your neighbors know you will be gone so they can keep watch and report any suspicious activity to IPD while you are away
· Remove large items from your yard that can be stacked to gain access to upper balconies
· Secure valuables in a safe place
· If you have a safe, make sure it is bolted down so it cannot be easily carried away
· Keep photos and serial numbers for your valuables handy and do regular inventory checks
· If you see something, say something IPD officers and detectives are regularly patrolling the area, including aerial surveillance.
If you are concerned about activity in your neighborhood, call IPD dispatch at 949-724-7000 so we can provide more details or investigate the activity