2 suspects captured after $57,000 liquor heist at California store
Two suspected thieves were captured Wednesday after allegedly breaking into a Cambria liquor store and making off with $57,000 in high-end alcohol, according to a sheriff’s spokesman.
The suspects, who were injured in an ensuing chase and car crash, were identified by a sheriff’s spokesman as 50-year-old Sheon Lorenzo James of Victorville and 52-year-old Woodrow Surratt III of Carson.
The incident began shortly before 3 a.m. on Wednesday, when sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to Bob & Jan’s Bottle Shop at 2292 Main St. after a witness called 911 to report a burglary in progress at the store, spokesman Tony Cipolla told The Tribune in an email Thursday.
“The reporting party observed two males in black masks and dressed in black as they broke into the business,” Cipolla said. The suspects “had a cart with a black box, which was placed inside their vehicle,” described as a white minivan with no license plates.
The store’s front glass door and some glass-enclosed liquor shelving were shattered and a metal security gate had been cut through.
“The cabinet wasn’t locked, but instead of opening it, they just broke the glass,” store co-owner Joseph Ayoub said at the store on Thursday. “They went directly to the bottles on the top shelf behind the counter, brought a big tote with them, put the bottles in it and left in under a minute.”
The shop’s security video showed one man jumping on top of the sales counter, rushing to get in position to break the glass in two cabinets, yank out the expensive liquor bottle by bottle, toss each one to his accomplice who then tossed it into the tote, Ayoub said Thursday night at the store.
Investigators found that the black metal security gate affixed to the front door frame had been cut through in several places, Cipolla said.
“The front glass door to the business had also been shattered, as well as the liquor shelves which were enclosed with glass. Security cameras at several nearby businesses had been blacked out,” he added.
While deputies investigated the scene, another patrol unit responding to the burglary from Atascadero spotted a van matching the description of the getaway vehicle traveling east on Highway 46 West, Cipolla said.
“When the deputy turned around and started pursuing the suspect vehicle, the driver sped up,” he said.
The suspects led the deputy on a chase into Templeton, where they crashed their vehicle near El Pomar and Moss Lane. They suffered serious injuries and were transported to a local hospital.
“They are being held until they can recover from their injuries and be booked into jail,” Cipolla said.
One bottle of stolen whiskey was valued at $22,000
Deputies were able to recover some of the stolen liquor from the vehicle after the crash, he said, noting that the haul “included a bottle of whiskey valued at approximately $22,000. Another bottle of whiskey was valued at approximately $3,000. Two bottles of cognac were taken valued at approximately $5,000.”
The losses included about 10 bottles total, Ayoub said, including “high-end scotch, tequila, cognac and that 1990 Macallan scotch, priced at more than $20,000.”
According to the online search engine wine-searcher.com, the average price for a 750 ml bottle of 1990 Macallan Fine & Rare Vintage Single Malt Scotch is $17,174.
In the break-in, about $5,600 worth of damage was also done to the store.
The store owner praised the deputies for their fast responses early Wednesday.
“We want to thank them for all the effort they did, and their quick response to get here within 10 minutes,” he said.
The investigation is continuing, Cipolla said.
