The Seal Beach Police Department arrested a commercial suspect in the the burglary of $74,000 worth of jewelry from Kohl’s.
On Sept. 1, 2023, Kohl’s loss prevention officers reported to the SBPD that on Aug. 31, 2023, three male suspects had worked in concert to steal approximately $73,877 in gold jewelry from the Kohl’s department store located at 12345 Seal Beach Blvd., in Seal Beach.
Surveillance cameras captured the commercial burglary and provided a detailed description of the suspects.
After the commercial burglary occurred, all three suspects fled the area in a grey BMW sedan and the license plate was recorded by loss prevention officers. A Kohl’s internal “Be On the Look Out” (BOLO) was created and distributed to all Kohl’s department stores in the region.
On Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, a loss prevention officer at the Kohl’s department store located at 4093 Grand Ave., in the city of Chino, observed several individuals inside the store and detained them based on suspicious activity. Upon detention, the loss prevention officer recognized one of the individuals from the Seal Beach BOLO.
On Sept. 15, at about 4:30 p.m., the Chino Police Department responded to the Kohl’s department store and detained the individuals including the male subject believed to be involved in the commercial burglary from the Seal Beach store on Aug. 31. Seal Beach police detectives were notified and responded to the Chino Kohl’s location.
The male individual was recognized from the Seal Beach commercial burglary, placed under arrest, and transported to the Seal Beach Police Department. During a Miranda interview, he admitted involvement in the commercial burglary in Seal Beach on Aug. 31 and confirmed he was one of the suspects depicted on the Seal Beach Kohl’s surveillance footage.
The suspect was identified as Brandon Libardo Bustos-Bermudez, 30, of Riverside. Bustos-Bermudez was subsequently transported to Orange County Jail and booked on suspicion of CPC 459, Burglary; CPC 487(a), Grand Theft; and CPC 182(a)(1), Conspiracy to a commit a crime.
“The Seal Beach Police Department is committed to maintaining the safety and security of our community. We take incidents of retail theft seriously and will diligently investigate all such cases. Retail theft not only harms businesses but also impacts the prices consumers pay for goods. Perpetrators of retail theft will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Chief Michael Henderson.
“We encourage business owners and employees to report any suspicious activity and provide any information that can assist in our investigations. The Seal Beach Police Department commends Kohl’s loss prevention officers who remain diligent in their surveillance and investigations to identify, detain, and prosecute those who commit retail theft,” Henderson said.
This is an ongoing investigation. Police are asking anyone with information about this case to contact Detective Sgt. Jeff Gibson at (562) 799-4100 ext. 1172 or jgibson@sealbeachca.gov.
