Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies made an arrest and recovered merchandise stolen in a brazen train burglary early Wednesday morning in the Coachella Valley.
It happened around 10:35 a.m. in the area of Hammond Road and Johnson Street in Mecca, an unincorporated community in rural Riverside County.
The Sheriff’s Office Aviation Unit flew to the scene and observed two men loading stolen merchandise into a vehicle before driving away prior to deputies arriving, officials said.
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The vehicle, which was stolen, eventually stopped near Johnson Street and Avenue 62 and the two men fled on foot, but they were unable to escape the watchful eye of the helicopter above.
The driver, identified as 19-year-old Fabian Galvez-Espinoza of Mecca, tried to evade capture but was eventually taken into custody. The second suspect currently remains outstanding, officials said.
Galvez-Espinoza has been booked into the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio to await charges for burglary, possession of stolen property, grand theft, resisting arrest, and conspiracy.
The search continues for the second suspect, but all stolen merchandise was believed to have been recovered.
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Anyone with information about his identity or location is urged to contact the RCSO Thermal Sheriff’s Station at 760-863-8990. Anonymous tips can be submitted by contacting Valley Crime Stoppers.
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