Possible serial LEGO thief arrested outside Target store in Upland
Upland police said they arrested a man accused of stealing $1,700 worth of LEGOs from a Target store Tuesday evening.
Last night, Ever Macias (22), tried to steal $1,714 in Legos. Once contacted, he fled on foot and was quickly captured. He was arrested for felony theft, resisting, and is now being investigated for similar thefts in other cities and counties. #UPD_ProudToServe @UplandPDChief pic.twitter.com/mTsAdMtGD6
— Upland Police Department (@UplandPD) May 31, 2023
After an investigation, authorities said the suspect could be connected to more LEGO thefts in three different counties including, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Diego.
The total amount stolen could be more than $30,000 worth of LEGOs.
The counties are working together to determine if the suspect is linked to all of the incidents.
Upland police said that they caught the suspect, 22-year-old Ever Macias, after security guards noticed him loading up his shopping cart with Legos and recognized him from previous thefts.
The Lego sets often turn into collectors' items, enticing some retail thieves to grab some off the shelves and resell them online.
"It's really easy for them to resell it," said Matt Ross, spokesperson for the Californians Against Retail and Residential Theft. "And many of them know the law."
CARRT, which represents 150 businesses, said that victims and law enforcement groups are fighting for more officers and stricter laws to combat organized theft.
"Ultimately, we need to have more laws on the books that send people to jail because some people need to go," said Ross. "We can't just continue to coddle these habitual offenders."
Target recently said it expects to lose $500 million in inventory this year because of theft.
Macias has been charged with felony theft and resisting and is currently in jail.