Gang Member Suspected of Auto Theft Arrested in Eagle Rock

The Los Angeles Police Department arrested a gang member alleged to be a notorious auto thief at Thursday.

LAPD officers had been searching for the suspect for the past week and tracked him down to the area behind Eagle Rock Plaza, from where he tried to run but was caught, according to Sgt. Wayne Guillary of the LAPD Northeast Community Police Station.

The arrest occurred at around 4 p.m. Thursday, Guillary said.

The Northeast Area LAPD posted the following comment at 4:09 p.m. on its Facebook page:

“There is a lot of police activity going on behind the Eagle Rock Plaza. We just took down our most-wanted target, a GTA/fraud ring run by Highland Park gang. There are many police investigative units involved in this arrest, but Officer "C" was instrumental and relentless in bringing this group to justice. Proud to work with you!”

Sgt. Guillary, who was on the Northeast station’s watch commander shift Thursday night, told Eagle Rock Patch that the Facebook post was the handiwork of the LAPD's Crime Analysis Detail, which issues crime alert notifications and produces a range of computer-generated data. He said he could not immediately confirm whether or not the alleged auto thief belonged to a Highland Park gang.

During the past week—from July 26 through August 2—six vehicles have been stolen in Eagle Rock, three in Highland Park, and one in Glassell Park, according to statistics supplied by the LAPD to CrimeMapping.com, a national repository of crime data. Two cars have also been burglarized in Eagle Rock during that period.

Related: June Crime Blotter—The Menace of Auto Theft.