Liquor Store Smash & Grab Driver At Large, One Arrested

MISSION VIEJO, CA —On Saturday morning, a silver Mercedes sedan was stolen from a Mission Viejo home, then used to plow through the front of a nearby liquor store, police said. The driver snatched trays of lottery tickets and some cash, according to officers.

The Mercedes blasted through the front glass doors of the 25000 block of Charlinda Drive liquor store just after 4 a.m., the Orange County Sheriff's Department reported.

Video footage released by the department then shows the driver getting out of the sedan and walking away from the scene with the trays of lottery tickets. That suspect can be seen wearing black pants, a black shirt, and gray shoes.

Shortly afterward, another man took advantage of the situation, entering the store to steal "some bottles of alcohol," Mission Viejo Lt. Quyen Vuong reported over social media.

Deputies were able to identify this suspect on surveillance video from past encounters and quickly arrested him for burglary.

Sheriff's deputies are still seeking the the original suspect who stole the Mercedes and rammed the store. If you have any information, please call dispatch at 949-770-6011, or OC Crime Stoppers at 855- TIP-OCCS.