| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
Two men arrested for rash of alleged thefts near NBC lot
Thursday March 27, 2003BURBANK, Calif. (AP) Two men who allegedly stole about $100,000 worth of laptop computers, cameras and other items from vehicles parked outside NBC's studios were arrested, authorities said.
Manuel Guzman, 29, of Inglewood, and Esteban Aguilar, 29, of Los Angeles were arrested Tuesday and booked for investigation of burglary.
Police recovered about 30 laptops and dozens of cameras from Guzman's home, officials said.
``We plan to return a majority of the property to the owners,'' police Sgt. Jay Jette said.
Police suspect the men may be connected to a rash of thefts that began last November, when tourists visiting the studios reported stolen items.
``They would normally hit every third day or so in the area of the studios,'' Sgt. Bruce Speirs said. ``They are very professional. When they break into a car, they are very fast.''
Most of the thefts were from rental cars and those with out-of-state plates.
The suspects were arrested after a police surveillance team caught them breaking into a car with Michigan license plates near the NBC studios.
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