Stolen documents, cash and designer handbags were among items recovered after a vehicle pursuit ended in a crash in Carlsbad earlier this month, police said.
The incident stemmed from an investigation that began Nov. 15 when officers responded to a residential burglary at a Carlsbad home, Lt. Darbie Ernst said.
The homeowner, who was out of town, told Carlsbad police his home security cameras filmed two people in hoodies break into his home through a second-story balcony, Ernst said.
Investigators said the burglars stole luxury handbags, $10,000 in cash, passports and Social Security cards from inside the closet and an unlocked safe.
Nearly a month later, on Dec. 12, Carlsbad detectives said they were notified of a similar burglary in San Marcos. Investigators said the getaway vehicle was the same as the one used in Carlsbad.
Later that day, detectives spotted the vehicle near La Costa Avenue and Interstate 5 and tried to pull it over, Ernst said. The vehicle did not stop and a pursuit began.
Police called off the pursuit after it became dangerous to public safety, Ernst said. Shortly afterward, the vehicle was found abandoned after crashing into a wall near a Shake Shack on El Camino Real.
Witnesses told investigators the driver ran away, Ernst said. A police dog helped officers locate and arrest two people.
A search warrant connected to the arrestees was served at a residence in Los Angeles. Officers allegedly found multiple designer purses, cash, jewelry, smartphones, passports, foreign currency and a handgun that was reported stolen during a residential burglary in Los Angeles County earlier in the year, investigators said.
Carlsbad police said they were working with other law enforcement agencies across the state to identify potential victims connected to the recovered items.
