El Cerrito Plaza became the focus of a retail theft crackdown last week as local police teamed up with loss prevention agents to tackle an ongoing shoplifting issue. In a coordinated effort that spanned six hours, officers from the El Cerrito Police Department conducted a sting operation targeting individuals accused of theft from several retail businesses in the area, including Marshalls, Ross, CVS, Lucky, and Foot Locker.
The sting operation, which occurred last Friday from 2 pm to 8 pm, resulted in the arrest of six individuals on suspicion of shoplifting. El Cerrito Police have since made it publicly known, in a clear message intended to deter would-be offenders, that they are to arrest and prosecute those caught stealing actively. "The El Cerrito Police, and our business partners, want criminals to know that we arrest and prosecute thieves," as per the El Cerrito Police Department.
The apprehended individuals range in age and come from various parts of the Bay Area. The suspects, as reported by El Cerrito Police, are Timothy Millet, 59, from San Francisco, David Hernandez, 34, from Oakland, Delton Harris, 53, also from San Francisco, Christopher Leach, 43, from Crockett, Heather Stock, 29, from Berkeley, and Quarron Reed, 25, from Paso Robles. Following the arrests, all stolen goods were recovered and returned to the stores.
