LOS ANGELES >> Seven gang members arrested for two early morning businesses burglaries in Santa Barbara had already been linked to a series of similar crimes in Los Angeles County, the sheriff’s department announced today.
The six men ages 20-27 and a boy whose age was not released were arrested about 3:15 a.m. Sunday on the southbound 101 Freeway south of Carpinteria, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Detectives with the sheriff’s Burglary-Robbery Task Force had been investigating the suspects since November and saw them force their way into a side door of a restaurant on North Milpas Street and then force entry a short time later into another restaurant, this one on Coast Village Road.
The suspects then fled in two vehicles, officials said.
“Investigators recovered burglary tools (crowbar, gloves, headlamps, bolt cutters) and cash stolen from the locations inside the suspects’ vehicles,” according a sheriff’s department statement.
The suspects were then taken to Santa Barbara police headquarters for booking and interrogation.
The task force had been investigating a series of similar late-night and pre-dawn burglaries at restaurants and fast-food businesses throughout Los Angeles County and neighboring counties.
In those cases, the suspects would force entry through front doors or windows, often taking cash drawers and safes from the businesses, according to the sheriff’s department.
“In recent weeks ... investigators worked closely with detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department North Hollywood Division and identified a possible suspect vehicle,” officials said.
The vehicle, a silver Saturn Vue SUV, had been spotted leaving the vicinity of burglarized restaurants in the Santa Clarita and North Hollywood areas.
“This information led LASD detectives to a location in Long Beach that had been previously suspected of involvement in a prior ongoing retail/commercial burglary investigation,” according to the sheriff’s department.
The Saturn led detectives to Santa Barbara early Sunday, where they saw a second vehicle — a red Jaguar sedan — “driving in tandem,” officials said.
“The vehicles traveled together and the occupants (suspects) ultimately committed both burglaries in Santa Barbara and were subsequently arrested,” according to the sheriff’s department.
The adult suspects were booked on suspicion of burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary and additional gang-related allegations and were each being held in lieu of $120,000 bail, with arraignments scheduled for Tuesday.
The juvenile, who was on probation for burglaries, was also arrested.
Sheriff’s officials identified the adult suspects as:
• Justin Marquis Johnson, 27, “a convicted felon who had an outstanding narcotics warrant for his arrest out of Orange County,” and has previous arrests on suspicion of theft, narcotics violations, forgery and battery;
• Kevin Deshawn Hawkins, 25, who has prior arrests on suspicion of domestic violence, criminal firearm possession and battery;
• Mahkhi Elijan Thomas, 21, who has previously been arrested on suspicion of burglary, narcotics violations and assault;
• Christian Sisson, 20, another felon with a criminal history including burglary and possession of stolen property;
• Willard Casey, 20, a felon with convictions for burglary, illegal firearm possession, narcotics violations and robbery; and
• Craig Jones, 27, a twice-convicted felon who was on parole for robbery and whose criminal history includes arrests on suspicion of illegal firearm possession, narcotics violations, vehicle theft and parole violations.
Detectives are working with counterparts in Santa Barbara and other jurisdictions “in an attempt to connect this burglary crew to several similar burglaries that were committed throughout the Southland in recent months,” according to the sheriff’s department.
“While this ‘crew’ is likely responsible for several dozen burglaries, investigators believe there may be other likeminded ‘crews’ also committing similar crimes,” officials said.
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