SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, CA — In a successful operation aimed at tackling retail theft, 11 individuals were arrested and approximately $7,600 worth of stolen merchandise was recovered by Redlands Police Department. The bust, which took place on January 30, 2025, was the result of a six-hour operation conducted by the Community Engagement Team.
The operation targeted two popular shopping centers, Mountain Grove and Citrus Plaza, in San Bernardino County. During the bust, stolen items were recovered from major retailers, including Target, Ross, Victoria’s Secret, World Market, and BevMo.
Among those arrested was 28-year-old Maria Isabel Torres from Los Angeles. Investigators linked Torres to a series of retail thefts across Southern California. She was first identified as a suspect in a theft at Nordstrom Rack in Riverside, after a detailed description and photo of Torres were provided by a Nordstrom Rack retail theft investigator.
Police officers later spotted Torres at the Ross store in Redlands, where she was caught in the act of stealing merchandise. Authorities discovered that Torres and her accomplice, 53-year-old Maria Isabel Hernandez (also from Los Angeles), had been coordinating their actions using Bluetooth devices. While Torres loaded merchandise into a suitcase, Hernandez acted as a lookout.
After a search of Torres’ van, officers recovered $3,400 worth of stolen items from the Ross store, as well as another $2,600 worth of merchandise taken from the Nordstrom Rack. Both Torres and Hernandez were arrested. Torres is also facing several pending cases for thefts in San Diego, Riverside, and Los Angeles.
The operation marks another successful effort by the Redlands Police Department to tackle organized retail theft in the area. In an earlier operation earlier in January, 19 individuals were arrested in a similar bust at the same shopping centers.
The Redlands Police Department worked closely with store employees, loss prevention officers, and retail theft investigators to make the operation a success.
