Accused Home Depot Thieves Arrested In Hercules

PINOLE AND HERCULES, CA — A man and woman, both from Oakland, were arrested Friday on suspicion of grand theft, robbery and recklessly evading a peace officer after allegedly stealing $1,512 worth of merchandise from a Home Depot in Hercules and fleeing from responding officers Friday morning.

Around 9:18 a.m. police responded to the hardware store on Sycamore Avenue after an employee reported that a man allegedly left with a significant amount of stolen merchandise and got into a Lexus SUV that was last seen traveling toward a nearby fast food restaurant.

Responding officers found the SUV leaving the Creekside Shopping Center and tried to initiate a traffic stop but the vehicle allegedly sped away.

Police lost the vehicle in the vicinity of the Phillips 66 refinery on Refinery Road, but a security guard informed them that the SUV was in the refinery parking lot.

Officers allegedly found the man, age 54, hiding under the SUV. The other suspect, a 45-year-old woman who allegedly drove the vehicle, was found nearby.

Inside the vehicle they allegedly found two air compressors, a leaf blower and a sump pump. Investigators believe the female suspect staged the items then exited the Home Depot and got into the SUV while the male suspect loaded the items into a cart and rolled them outside.

A loss-prevention officer apparently approached them and tried to take the cart, but the male suspect allegedly lunged at him and the employee backed away out of fear for his safety and called police.

Both suspects were booked into the Martinez Detention Facility, but police did not provide their names.

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— Bay City News; Image via Shutterstock