BY EDWIN FOLVEN / MARCH 20, 2024

Drone helps BHPD arrest Rodeo Drive theft suspect


The theft was reported shortly after 11 a.m. at the Yves Saint Laurent store on Rodeo Drive, police said. (photo by Tabor Brewster)

Beverly Hills Police Department officers arrested a 29-year-old man for grand theft and other felony charges on March 15 after he allegedly committed a theft at a store at 469 N. Rodeo Drive and fled the area on a bus.

The theft occurred around 11:15 a.m. at the Yves Saint Laurent store. Police responded and conducted an investigation. Officers with the BHPD’s Real Time Watch Center used cameras and a drone to locate and track the suspect, who was seen boarding a Metro bus that drove out of Beverly Hills.

Officers continued to track the bus with the drone and saw the suspect exit near Santa Monica and Beverly Glen boulevards, west of the Westfield Century City Shopping Mall. Patrol officers arrived and the suspect attempted to flee on foot. He was arrested following a short pursuit, Lt. Andrew Myers said.

The suspect was identified as Ruben Sandoval, of Paramount. He was booked for grand theft, attempted assault with a deadly weapon, resisting or obstructing a public officer and a parole violation. Sandoval was held on a felony no bail warrant issued by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department for burglary.