5 Men Arrested in Outlet Thefts

CAMARILLO — Five men were arrested Sunday on suspicion of stealing several thousand dollars worth of clothing, shoes and sunglasses from at least four stores in the Camarillo outlet mall, authorities said.

The men were taken into custody about 1:30 p.m. after a citizen called sheriff’s deputies and reported suspicious activity at the Camarillo Premium Outlets in the 700 block of East Ventura Boulevard.

The suspects were identified as Jose Gutierrez, 29, Manuel Alonso and Ramon Garcia, both 22, and Cesar Gonzalez and Christian Cabello, both 20. Alonso is from Los Angeles and Cabello is from Mexico. Authorities did not know the residences of the other men.

One of the men was arrested after trying to flee the mall on foot, authorities said.

The men had been staying at a local motel for a couple of days. Additional suspects were being sought Sunday night.

Following the arrests, deputies located a van they suspected had been used by the group and inside found several items that had allegedly been stolen. Authorities valued the items at $100,000 but it was unclear if everything that was found had been taken from stores at the outlet mall.

Deputies were waiting Sunday night for a search warrant that would allow them to investigate the motel room.