Menlo Park police arrest four people suspected of being part of a retail theft ring

Police in Menlo Park arrested four people Monday suspected of being involved in a retail theft ring.

The arrest comes three days after two of the suspects were arrested for the same offenses in another jurisdiction, police said.

Menlo Park officers responded to a 2:19 p.m. call from Safeway employees reporting that four people were inside the store stealing items off the shelves before leaving in a red Chrysler sedan, which was driven across the street to a Big 5 Sporting Goods store in the 700 block of El Camino Real.

Police said the foursome entered that store and continued their crime spree, stealing a large amount of clothing before leaving the scene in the same red Chrysler.

Moments later, police saw the vehicle and pulled it over and detained all four people, recovering a large amount of stolen items from the two stores as well as from Home Depot, Petco, CVS and Walgreens.

Police said they also found in the vehicle some narcotics, drug paraphernalia and credit card skimming machines.

The four arrested for various crimes of theft were a 44-year-old resident of Pacifica, a 33-year-old resident of Martinez and two residents of San Francisco, 44 and 47 years old.

Police said they also learned through the investigation that two of the suspects were arrested Friday by an outside agency for allegedly engaging in the same form of criminal activity and driving the same red Chrysler sedan.

Editor’s note: It is The Almanac’s policy to withhold the names of those arrested for most crimes until the District Attorney’s Office has determined that there is sufficient evidence to file charges in the case.