Suspect Sought Who Got Away In Theft Of $45K Of Landscaping Gear: Police

IRVINE, CA -- Irvine police is asking for the public's help in tracking down one of two suspects in the theft of commercial landscaping equipment.

Police arrested Francisco Acosta, 36, of Los Angeles, but his alleged accomplice got away, according to Farrah Emami of the Irvine Police Department.

An Irvine officer saw a suspicious van pulling out of a dirt road onto Irvine Boulevard about 1:30 a.m. on May 17 and signaled the driver -- later identified as Acosta -- to stop, Emami said.

As the van pulled over, the driver and passenger bailed out of the vehicle and ran away, but Acosta was quickly apprehended, she said.

Police recovered 115 pieces of commercial-grade lawn and landscaping equipment in the van, Emami said. The stolen goods are worth about $45,000, she said.

Investigators suspect another 30 pieces of stolen property have not been recovered and more suspects in a second vehicle may have been involved, Emami said.

Anyone with helpful information about the heist was asked to call Irvine police Detective Jason Renshaw at (949) 724-7000.

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--City News Service