Edmond porch pirates linked to national theft ring
EDMOND, Okla. (KFOR) — Two suspects were captured in Edmond Thursday who police say are tied to a multi-million dollar nationwide theft ring.
Edmond Police set up a sting operation to capture those two suspects, with Oklahoma City Police arresting another six the same day.
Each suspect allegedly apart of a national theft ring that involves stealing iPhone's and other electronics, totaling nearly $7 million.
"It appears that these suspects are from out of town, possibly part of a much larger scheme," said Sgt. Dillion Quirk, with OKCPD.
Eight arrest were made Thursday in connection to porch thefts with the suspects stealing expensive iPhone's and electronics.
"They're responsible for millions of dollars of theft across the United States," said Emily Ward, Edmond PD.
Edmond Police set up a sting operation to capture two suspects, Danny Alberto-Herrera and Jomar Maria-Lopez, in the Timberdale neighborhood near Danforth Rd. and Broadway.
"Our detectives had some information that there was going to be these deliveries made and that these were the deliveries that these pirates are after," Ward said. "So, they were sitting on a house, the item was delivered and here comes the porch pirate."
The suspects took off as soon as they saw the officers.
"It was a very short pursuit through the neighborhood," Ward said. "It ended when the two bailed out of the vehicle and ran on foot. We apprehended one right away, and then it was several hours later that we caught the second one."
Police say there are still a lot of unknowns.
"It's still unclear how they learned which phones were going to which residents, but they knew what time and where these electronic devices were going," Quirk said.
With the holidays approaching, police say we all need to take extra precaution when having online orders sent to our homes.
"It is that time of year where we are going to see an increase in this activity," Quirk said.
All eight suspects are currently in the Oklahoma County Jail.
Police believe the crime ring possibly originated out of Pennsylvania.