Gun Thieving Couple Stole Mission Viejo License Plate, Possibly Car--Was it Yours?

Thieves who stole $10,000 in household items including a semi-automatic gun started out in Mission Viejo, according to police.

A man and a woman (called "Debbie" in the attached security video) stole license plates from a Mission Viejo Toyota. The 90s green Honda Accord they were driving could be stolen, too, said spokesman Jim Amormino with the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

Deputies are hoping someone in the public recognizes the two thieves caught on tape foraging through a San Juan Capistrano house in the gated Hidden Mountain tract.

"Since they activated a round in the chamber [of the gun], they should be considered armed and dangerous," Amormino said. Had the homeowners or deputies confronted the thieves at the house, the situation could have become dicey.

The burglary took place April 12 and was caught on security cameras installed in the home in the 2800 block of Paseo Andante, Amormino said.

The wife had left the house to take her child to Creekside Park in Dana Point. When she returned to her car after some time in the sun, she discovered the front passenger window broken, with her purse, wallet and garage door opener gone, Amormino said.

She immediately contacted the Sheriff’s Department, which dispatched deputies to her house and her location at the park, Amormino said. Meanwhile, the homeowner was able to access her home’s video surveillance system via an app on her smartphone.

Although the thieves had already left the scene, she was able to rewind the recording and see a man and a woman in her bedroom, Amormino said.

The thieves were gone by the time deputies arrived, he said.

In the tape, "Debbie" calls the male thief "Anthony."

Amormino said some leads have already come in from the South Bay section of Los Angeles County. Anyone recognizing the suspects is encouraged to contact the at 855-TIP-OCCS.

The images of the suspects are particularly clear on the video, Amormino said.

“I’ve been around, well, [as of] yesterday it’s been 41 years … I’ve seen thousands of tapes, and that’s one of the best I’ve ever seen,” he said.