IRVINE, CA (October 24, 2012):  Early this morning, Irvine residents called the Irvine Police to report two separate incidents of suspicious activity and assisted in the capture of theft suspects.

The first incident occurred at about 2:30 a.m. when a resident in the Northwood Village called Irvine Police Dispatch to report a suspicious subject looking into cars and checking door handles. A nearby patrol officer immediately responded and located the subject hiding behind a car. The subject, later identified as a 16 year old male juvenile from Irvine, fled into the neighborhood as the officer attempted to make contact with him. The juvenile was located a short time later hiding in a nearby backyard by additional officers who had responded to assist with the search.

The proactive actions of the resident and the quick response by Irvine Police officers appear to have prevented the subject from completing a vehicle burglary. The juvenile was arrested on a No Bail Juvenile warrant for contempt of court and curfew violation. The juvenile was booked at the Orange County Juvenile Hall.

The second incident occurred shortly after 5 a.m. in an apartment complex near Culver Drive and Deerfield Road. Again, an alert resident called police to report two subjects stealing property from her car in the parking lot. As the resident continued to provide dispatchers with information over the phone, she reported seeing a third subject ride up on a bicycle and join the other two suspects. All three subjects then left the area in a silver van.

Several patrol officers arrived within minutes and located the suspect vehicle as it was leaving the area. Officers were able to safely stop the vehicle and the three occupants were later arrested for possession of stolen property, possession of burglary tools, conspiracy to commit a crime, and grand theft of a bicycle determined to have been stolen from the area.

The subjects from the second incident have been identified as Randall Ellison (29) of Huntington Beach, Michelle Mitchell (32) of Huntington Beach and Ryan Byars (32) of La Habra.  All three subjects have been booked at the Orange County Jail on the above charges.

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IRVINE POLICE DEPARTMENT
One Civic Center Plaza, Irvine, CA 92606
(949) 724-7000  www.irvinepd.org
"Working In Partnership with the Community"

INTEGRITY - QUALITY SERVICE - ACCOUNTABILITY - RESPECT

The City of Irvine has a population of more than 212,000, spans 65 square miles and is recognized as one of America's safest and most successful master-planned urban communities. Top-rated educational institutions, an enterprising business atmosphere, sound environmental stewardship, and respect for diversity all contribute to Irvine's enviable quality of life. This family-friendly city features more than 16,000 acres of parks, sports fields and dedicated open space and is the home of the Orange County Great Park – the first great metropolitan park of the 21st century.  For more information, please visit www.cityofirvine.org.