For more than a year and a half, Southern California detectives traced a trail of smashed doors, stolen alcohol, and pried-open ATMs, chasing a group of suspects believed to be responsible for a wave of nighttime commercial burglaries.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Major Crimes Bureau, Metro Detail said the suspects targeted liquor stores, tobacco shops, pharmacies, and other convenience-type stores throughout Los Angeles County, and were later linked to similar burglaries in Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties.
Authorities said the suspects often masked their identities with hooded sweatshirts and face coverings, used power tools to cut through security doors, and fled in high-performance vehicles, including stolen Chevy Camaros. Several incidents prompted dangerous police pursuits, officials said…