Trio Arrested In Series of Brazen Irvine Burglaries

IRVINE (CBSLA) – Two men and a juvenile were in custody Wednesday on suspicion of three burglaries, including one heist in which $160,000 in valuables was taken, Irvine police said.

Jaime Alejandro Armenta, 20, of Moreno Valley and Dave Flores, 21, of San Bernardino, were arrested Tuesday afternoon at Flores' home, Kim Mohr of the Irvine Police Department said. A juvenile, whose name was not released because of his age, also was taken into custody, Mohr said.

The most recent burglary was Tuesday morning, Mohr said. A resident responding to an alarm returned home about 8:15 a.m., interrupting the thieves in the act, Mohr said.

The three suspects attacked the resident, bound him and stuck him in a storage closet before they scooped up iPads, cameras and a wallet and fled, Mohr said.

The two are also suspected of burglarizing a home in the 10 block of Hunter on Aug. 27, where a safe containing $160,000 in jewelry and a Rolex watch were taken, Mohr said.

The other burglary in which they are suspected of participating happened Sept. 19 in the 14000 block of Greenbrae, Mohr said.

Police released video of the Greenbrae burglary.

Stolen goods from each burglary were found in Flores' home and car, according to Mohr.

Detectives believe the suspects may be tied to other recent cases. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Irvine Police Department at 949-724-7270.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)