Suspected ringleader of Carlsbad outlets theft crew arrested (original) (raw)

A man suspected of leading an organized retail theft crew, allegedly responsible for stealing more than $30,000 in merchandise from the Carlsbad Premium Outlets alone, has been arrested on numerous charges, Carlsbad police said Friday.

The investigation began in early June with two thefts from the mall in which thieves used a distinctive “booster bag” to hide stolen goods, police spokesperson Denise Ramirez said in a news release. Officer Madison Puliafico, a patrol officer, reviewed different surveillance videos and discovered what appeared to be the same bag being used by multiple people in other thefts at high-end stores at the mall, police said.

Puliafico used license-plate reader data to then identify a vehicle linked to the mall heists and several unsolved thefts in Carlsbad and Orange County, police said. The officer coordinated with other law enforcement agencies across the region to obtain a search warrant and conduct surveillance on the suspect, police said.

The investigation, with help from the department’s Crime Suppression Team, led to Jose Miguel Gonzalez, a 38-year-old Lake Elsinore resident, police said. Gonzalez was arrested on Aug. 16 during a traffic stop on Avenida Encinas north of Cannon Road, said Lt. Jason Arnotti. He was booked into Vista Jail on seven counts of organized retail theft and criminal conspiracy, police said.

No other suspects have been arrested in the case, but the investigation is ongoing, Arnotti said.

Originally Published: August 23, 2024 at 12:48 PM PST