Two men were arrested on suspicion of burglary Tuesday morning after allegedly smashing their way into a gas station in Claremont and taking display cases with lottery tickets and other items inside.
Officers responded about 2:35 a.m. to a Chevron station in the 200 block of South Indian Hill Boulevard, according to Claremont Police Department Sgt. David De Metz.
The first arriving officers saw a white Chevrolet truck fleeing the location, De Metz said.
“The truck drove into a nearby residential area and officers conducted a traffic stop on it,” De Metz said. “As soon as the truck came to a stop, a rear passenger jumped out and fled on foot. A perimeter was quickly established, but the suspect was not located.”
The driver and another passenger complied with officers and were taken into custody. Officers found display cases from the gas station containing lottery tickets as well as cigarettes, lighters, chips and drinks, De Metz said.
“The approximate value of these recovered items was $15,000,” De Metz said.
Burglary tools including a crow bar, saws, files and pry tools were also found inside the truck and in the suspects’ pockets, he said.
“A review of surveillance video showed the suspects smash the front glass door and commit the burglary,” De Metz said.
The suspects — identified as Ruben Carabajal, 37, and Michael Orozco, 39, both of Pomona — were arrested and booked on suspicion of burglary, possession of stolen property, possession of burglary tools and possession of drug paraphernalia, De Metz said.
Carabajal was also booked on suspicion of driving a vehicle with a false registration while his license was suspended and was jailed in lieu of $20,000 bail, according to De Metz.
Orozco was also arrested for outstanding warrants related to identity theft, possession of burglary tools and possession of controlled substances and was being held in lieu of $75,000 bail, the sergeant said.
A description of the escaped suspect, who wore dark clothing and had his face covered, was not immediately available.