Thief tries to sell equipment back to store he stole it from the same day, CA cops say

The owner of a store in Riverside, California, was walking near his shop on Wednesday morning when a man approached him offering to sell some camera equipment, KTLA reported.

The owner recognized the equipment because he sold that same equipment at his store, according to NBC Los Angeles. When the owner got to his store, he found out someone had broken in and stolen several hundred dollars worth of camera equipment that same day, the Riverside Police Department wrote in a Facebook post.

The store owner called the police and tried to detain the suspect, but when two officers arrived, the man took off, according to Riverside police. Eventually the officers caught him and arrested him on charges of commercial burglary and probation violations, Riverside police said.

The suspect was identified as Johnny Robles, 25, of Indio, according to NBC. Robles was recently released from jail under California’s zero-bail order, which was put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic, KTLA reported.

Robles was on probation on a charge of violence against police and charges relating to theft, drugs and resisting arrest, according to Riverside police. The stolen equipment was returned to the store, NBC reported.