Three 17 year old male youths were arrested by Saanich Police on Thursday night (Feb 23rd) for stealing a vehicle from the Sunnymead area and then heading out to the mall to do some shopping with the car owner’s credit cards.
Between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m, the Honda CRV had been left unlocked within the homeowner’s garage. The garage door was open and the CRV contained the owner’s wallet with i.d. and credit cards.
Suspicious credit card purchases were being attempted at Mayfair Shopping Centre a short time later. Alert business staff and mall security helped police by providing video footage showing the three teens in the mall.
Police learned from one of the businesses that one of the teens had provided a fictitious street address, but the street name itself existed and was located close to the scene of the car theft.
Officers hurried back to the Sunnymead area and soon spotted three suspicious teens on foot. They matched the mall security video and were arrested without incident.
Police later learned that the stolen car owner’s next-door neighbours also had some items stolen from from inside their parked vehicle.
The stolen CRV was later found parked at University Heights Shopping Centre and it was returned to the owner.
All three youths were released to their parents and are facing Youth Court charges related to theft, possession of stolen property and credit card fraud. They will be making their first appearances in Youth Court in late March.
12-3666