Grand Theft Video

According to National City Police Department radio traffic, at approximately 10:10 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12, two men walked into the GameStop store in Plaza Bonita Mall and tied the employees up, placing posters over their faces at gunpoint. After the employees had been restrained, the suspects took their cell phones and keys to a locked area where video games are stored and to a back room where the game consoles are kept.

The suspects began to load plastic GameStop bags with games and consoles (10 Sony PlayStation 3s, 23 Nintendo Wiis, and several Microsoft Xbox 360s), all worth over $12,000, which classifies the crime as felony grand theft.

The suspects made nine trips to their vehicles, with a female acting as lookout. One of the employees overheard where the suspects’ vehicles were parked and was subsequently struck in the head with the bottom of a pistol grip.

At 11:40 p.m., the employees freed themselves and called 911. National City PD responded and set up a perimeter around the mall. The police searched the parking lot and surrounding area but were unable to locate the thieves. Medics responded as well, but the employee that was struck in the head declined medical attention.

GameStop does not have video cameras in the store, but the mall has cameras in many locations, including the area were the suspects are believed to have parked.

The suspects are described as: a black or dark Hispanic heavyset male wearing a blue cap, blue shirt, black jeans, and black Nikes; a black or dark Hispanic male possibly named Eric in his mid 20s with a mole on his face, six feet tall, 165 pounds, wearing a blue cap, black shirt, Dickies pants, and black Vans shoes with white trim. Both suspects were armed with black semi-automatic handguns. All the suspects (including the female lookout) face several felonies if arrested.