3 Orange County women arrested after police find over $12,000 worth of stolen merchandise
The suspects were identified as:
Sara Alexandru, 18, of Garden Grove
Simara Ghiocel, 19, of Westminster
Sara Mihalaiche, 19, of Garden Grove
On June 30, license plate readers alerted Irvine police to a van that was used to carry out a retail theft from an Ulta Beauty store in Los Angeles.
Officers located the van exiting the Alton Square shopping center and began following it. The suspects eventually pulled over in a neighborhood, exited the van and fled on foot.
Body cam footage that was blurred by police showed officers tracking down the women as they hid in different spots throughout the neighborhood. They were taken into custody.
Inside the van, police found over $12,500 worth of stolen merchandise from several retail stores in Irvine, Santa Ana and Costa Mesa.
The women were booked at the Orange County Jail on multiple charges including organized retail theft, grand theft and burglary.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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