Three women were arrested after police found over $12,000 worth of stolen merchandise in Orange County.
The suspects were identified as:
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Sara Alexandru, 18, of Garden Grove
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Simara Ghiocel, 19, of Westminster
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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.
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Blurred body cam footage provided by the Irvine Police Department showed an officer arresting a retail theft suspect who was hiding in an Irvine neighborhood on June 30, 2025.
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Blurred body cam footage provided by the Irvine Police Department showed an officer arresting two retail theft suspects who were hiding in an Irvine neighborhood on June 30, 2025.
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Blurred body cam footage provided by the Irvine Police Department showed officers arresting three retail theft suspects who were hiding in an Irvine neighborhood on June 30, 2025.
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.
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