On a sunny Tuesday morning in Woodcrest, a Riverside County neighborhood usually untarnished by the harsh realities of urban transgression, three men from Moreno Valley sought to change the narrative. A burglary in progress was reported on Wednesday, February 21, as per the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. The incident took place in the 16000 block of Van Buren Boulevard at around 11:45 a.m., where suspected burglars were looking to score not one, but two establishments by breaking through the drywall that stood as a thin barrier between nefarious intent and criminal gain.
However, before deputies could even arrive, a vigilant reporting party detailed the crime as it unfolded—three suspects, later identified as 45-year-old Daniel Matthias Lopez, 28-year-old Robert Nelson, and 39-year-old Alejandro Astacio, were allegedly tearing down the walls of honest commerce. Two were caught red-handed, loading stolen goods into an SUV while the third made an ill-fated attempt to flee, only to be swiftly apprehended by law enforcement.
The swift action of the Lake Mathews Sheriff's deputies resulted not just in the detention of suspects mid-heist but in the clear linkage of all three to both break-ins, thanks to additional evidence discovered within the vehicle. As the investigation continues, any persons with further information are encouraged to come forth, extending the lines of communication to Deputy Vejsawan or Investigator Shamhart at the same sheriff's station with a call to 951–272–5600.
The Riverside County Sheriff's Department is now turning to the public, appealing to citizens to aid in piecing together a broader understanding of the criminal puzzle that disrupted the Woodcrest community.
