Deputies posing as shoppers Wednesday night ended up arresting seven people on charges related to theft and drug possession, among others.
The undercover operation dubbed “shopping with a cop” was carried out in Valencia at three locations: on the southeast corner of Valencia Boulevard and McBean Parkway, on the 27100 block of McBean at Baywood Lane and on the 24400 block of Magic Mountain Parkway, just west of McBean.
“Detectives and deputies joined up to conduct a retail theft/shopping center public safety operation that started late Wednesday afternoon and went into the evening hours,” Shirley Miller, spokeswoman for the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station wrote in post on the SCV Sheriff’s Station’s Facebook page Friday.
Some deputies and detectives wore uniforms, while others wore plainclothes, she noted.
“They were watching for potential shoplifters and looking for suspicious activity in parking lots,” Miller wrote.
By the end of the night, seven arrests were made. Five people were found to have warrants in the system. Three of the warrants were theft-related.
One person was arrested on narcotics and vehicle-theft charges, and another individual was arrested for narcotics sales.
“We will conduct more of these operations in the near future to help businesses with theft prevention and ensure our residents a safe shopping experience,” Miller wrote at the end of her social media post.
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