Organized Retail Theft Ring Suspected After Stolen Car Recovered

LIVERMORE, CA — Four Fresno residents, including a teenager, were arrested in Livermore over the weekend after police were tipped off to a stolen car in the city, police said.

Serena Garcia, 24, Jesus Lopez, 32, Christopher Spears, 28, and an unnamed 16-year-old boy were arrested Sunday on suspicion of possessing stolen property, among other charges, the Livermore Police Department said in a statement.

Only Lopez remained in jail as of Wednesday morning, Santa Rita Jail records show.

The arrests came after police were called to the San Francisco Premium Outlets around 2 p.m. Sunday, police said. Officers were notified that a stolen white Mercedes may be there.

The stolen car was linked to a smash-and-grab burglary at the Lululemon store in Los Gatos and a strong-arm robbery at the Saks Fifth Avenue in Milpitas, police said.

Officers said they arrived to find the car unoccupied in the northern end of the shopping center parking lot and arrested Garcia as she approached the car.

Police saw the 16-year-old boy walking through the shopping center and headed toward him. The teenager took off running and police later arrested him with a loaded .45-caliber handgun and the key to a gray BMW, which was also reported stolen, police said.

Officers later found Lopez and Spears at a local hotel. Lopez was out on parole and suspected of an armed robbery, and Spears had methamphetamine and stolen credit cards in his wallet, police said.

Police said they suspect the arrestees may have links to an organized retail theft crew. Both the stolen BMW and Mercedes were filled with stolen items, police said. The BMW also had an untraceable, 9-mm. ghost gun under the driver's seat, police said.