Seven men arrested for stealing $23k of vacuums from parked semi

Seven men were taken into custody after stealing a load of vacuums from a semi truck parked at a California truck stop. 

The theft occurred on Tuesday, November 5th at about 8:43 p.m. in the 2900 block of Lenwood Road in Barstow, California. 

According to the Barstow Police Department, police were called to the truck stop on reports of a burglary in process. Multiple hispanic men were reported to be unloading items from a tractor trailer and packing them into a van. 

When officers arrived, they spotted the men, who promptly fled the scene in the loaded van. Officers attempted to stop the van, but 62-year-old Victor Ramirez, who was behind the wheel, refused to stop and led police on a chase. 

Ramirez eventually stopped the vehicle near Osbourne Road and Agate Road and the occupants fled on foot. 

All seven suspects were eventually located with the help of a K9 unit and an aviation unit. They have since been booked into the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Jail. Officers later recovered 100 Shark vacuums valued at approximately $23,000, which were returned to the victim. 

Anyone with information regarding this investigation may contact Officer Gavin Riley at (760) 256-2211 or griley@barstowca.org.