Three people were arrested after they were videotaped driving into a postal worker who was trying to thwart what police say was the theft of hundreds of pieces of mail from a Fullerton post office.
Police were called to the post office at 1350 E. Chapman Ave. around 4:50 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 23, Fullerton Sgt. Ryan O’Neil said Saturday. A caller said someone had taken a crate of mail off a loading dock and fled in a black sedan. As the sedan left the parking lot, a female employee stood in front of the car, was pushed backward and fell into the street. She quickly got up on her own.
Cell phone footage captured the moment mail thieves ran over a mail lady after stealing mail from the Fullerton post office. The suspects walked into the facility targeting mail trays of checks before fleeing the location. #fullerton pic.twitter.com/0DLgspOqWg
— OC Hoods (@ocxhoods) January 25, 2024
About a mile south, at Orangethorpe and Raymond avenues near the 91 Freeway, an officer saw a car matching that description and pulled it over.
“Luckily, officers were in the right place at the right time,” police said in a Facebook post. “Officers conducted a traffic stop, and what do you know, a USPS mail bin was inside the vehicle. Needless to say, all occupants were delivered to jail.”
The three were arrested on suspicion of mail theft, robbery and assault with a deadly weapon — the car, O’Neil said.
Police are trying to determine whether the suspects were responsible for other mail thefts and robberies.
Federal officials say there has been a nationwide increase in such crimes.
Stealing mail provides crooks with numerous opportunities to profit. In addition to acquiring anything inside that in itself is valuable, thieves can alter checks and cash them, and they can sell or trade Social Security numbers and other personal information discovered. Mail is often targeted by drug addicts who lack cash.
It’s also less risky than robbing a bank because few mail…
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