Two Teens Flee Group Home and Get Arrested

“Two 15-year-old boys allegedly stole a 1987 Toyota SR-5 pickup truck from a Hilltop Drive apartment complex on Sunday, and then went on a purse snatching spree around Redding on Monday, said the Redding Police Department.

According to police, the juvenile suspects stole the purses of three different women before being caught by authorities.

At 9:54 a.m., Sarah Myers, 23, of Oregon, was helping her friend retrieve a baby stroller out of a parked vehicle in the parking lot of the Sundial Bridge, and had her purse snatched from her possession by two male juvenile suspects. The suspects fled the scene in a Toyota truck.

Gabrielle Muriel Garcia, 28, of Redding, was near Macy’s at the Mount Shasta Mall around 11:24 a.m., when her purse was snatched by two male juveniles driving the same type description Toyota pick-up truck.

At 11:45 a.m., Lavonne Elaine Riley, 63, was sitting at the bus stop on Masonic Drive in Redding, when two male juveniles grabbed her purse and dragged her for a short distance along the ground. She suffered abrasions to her arms, but did not require immediate medical attention. The two juvenile suspects fled, with the victim’s purse, in the Toyota truck.

Several officers surrounded the two suspects as they occupied the stolen Toyota truck in the vicinity of Shasta Lanes at 12:03 p.m., said police. Officers found the three stolen purses, along with a stolen Apple phone, on the floorboard of the stolen truck.

During interviews with Redding police investigators, the juveniles said they ran away from Open Line Group Home in Redding for the purpose of traveling to Sacramento. According to authorities, they admitted to stealing the truck for transportation, and after realizing they had no money for gas, began to rob women for their purses.

The juveniles were reported missing from the group home at 5:49 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 16.

Because the suspects are minors, their names are being withheld.

The juveniles were booked at Shasta County Juvenile Hall for three counts of robbery, vehicle theft, possession of stolen property, and conspiracy to commit a felony.  The stolen pick-up truck and stolen purses were returned to their respective owners.”

Two teens go on crime spree, are caught in Redding[KrCRTV 11/17/14 by Meghan Hunt]

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