LOS ANGELES (KNX) — Los Angeles police have arrested a suspected serial burglar who evaded capture for nearly 72 hours in the Shadow Hills area near Sunland.
Benjamin Renteria, 25, was booked on suspicion of felony burglary and was held on $240,000 bail, according to the LAPD.
Renteria was arrested shortly before 11 p.m. on Wednesday near Wheatland Avenue and Wentworth Street in the vicinity of Hansen Dam. Residents reported seeing Renteria walking down streets and carrying a rifle around 7:30 p.m. About 150 LAPD officers descended on the area with K9 units and air support.
A K9 unit located Renteria in an area of dense vegetation in Hansen Dam Park. One of the dogs began dragging him by the arm before officers arrived to make an arrest.
Authorities believe Renteria was responsible for a string of commercial and residential burglaries in Sunland, Shadow Hills, and other communities in the northeastern San Fernando Valley going back to at least October.
He was captured on surveillance cameras several times armed with a rifle, but reportedly had not injured anyone during the alleged burglaries. According to the LAPD, Renteria did point a gun at a security guard during one encounter, but did not fire the weapon.
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