PALM SPRINGS, CA — On December 5, 2025, investigators with the Palm Springs Police Department concluded a theft investigation within 12 hours, resulting in the arrest of a suspect and the recovery of more than $20,000 in property. The case began at approximately 4:30 p.m. after the Detective Bureau received information from a social media post regarding the theft of commercial landscaping equipment from a work truck in Palm Springs.
Detectives utilized law enforcement databases, private surveillance video, and the Flock camera system to track the suspect vehicle. Despite the suspect repeatedly changing license plates, investigators tracked the vehicle through several Coachella Valley cities to a residence in Moreno Valley. At approximately 9:00 p.m., officers identified the driver as 35-year-old Luis Antonio Sanchez Valladres. Following a traffic stop and subsequent interview, Valladres provided information regarding the location of the stolen items, which had been hidden in a desert area of Desert Hot Springs…