Police are searching for a male suspect who stole a large amount of merchandise from a Macy's store in Orange County.
The theft happened at a Macy’s department store at the Mainplace Mall in Santa Ana on Dec. 15, 2023, according to the Santa Ana Police Department.
Video captured the male suspect entering the store and placing several fragrance items in a large clear trash bag. He then attempted to exit the store but was confronted by a security guard.
That's when the suspect allegedly threatened the guard by saying he had a firearm while simulating a concealed weapon in his waistband, police said.
The suspect eventually exited the store, escaping with over $1,200 worth of merchandise, authorities said.
He is described as a Hispanic man in his late 30s and was last seen wearing a black jacket, white shirt and black pants.
Police are searching for a suspect who stole thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from a Macy's store in Orange County on Dec. 15, 2023. (Santa Ana Police Department)
Police are searching for a suspect who stole thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from a Macy's store in Orange County on Dec. 15, 2023. (Santa Ana Police Department)
Police are searching for a suspect who stole thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from a Macy's store in Orange County on Dec. 15, 2023. (Santa Ana Police Department)
Images from the store's security cameras are being released in hopes someone may recognize the man.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Santa Ana Detective Engle at 714-245-8351 or email TEngle@santa-ana.org.
Surveillance footage of the theft can be seen in the video player above.
Police are searching for a suspect wanted for indecently exposing himself at an Orange County library.
The male suspect was spotted lying down in front of the Newhope Branch Library in Santa Ana, according to Santa Ana police.
Library employees said the man began masturbating while families and children were present.
When an employee confronted the man, he immediately got up and walked away, police said.
He is described as a Hispanic or white man around 35-40 years old. He stands around 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs around 160 pounds. He was last seen wearing a beige jacket, a dark-colored shirt and tan pants.
Authorities have released images of the suspect from a surveillance camera in hopes someone may recognize him.
A man wanted for allegedly exposing himself to children and families at an Orange County library. (Santa Ana Police Department)
A man wanted for allegedly exposing himself to children and families at an Orange County library. (Santa Ana Police Department)
Anyone who knows the suspect or has information on the incident is asked to contact Santa Ana Detective A. Miller at 714-245-8363 or AMiller5@santa-ana.org.
Authorities said Souzer is considered “extremely dangerous and violent” and should not be approached.
Souzer was released from custody on March 20 after pleading guilty to felony vandalism. He was sentenced to 90 days in county jail and placed on probation for two years afterward.
He checked into the halfway house that day, called Project Kinship in Santa Ana, but left the premises and never returned. He did not notify his probation officer of where he may have been headed.
Souzer’s criminal history involves stabbing his mother to death when he was 13 years old, attacking three correctional officers, and manufacturing a shank while being housed at the Orange County Jail, said the DA’s office.
Ike Souzer, 20, in a booking photo from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
After a countywide manhunt during that incident, he was eventually located and arrested at a homeless encampment in Anaheim.
Souzer remains at large and is considered a "significant public safety threat." Anyone who spots him is asked to avoid approaching him and to call 911 immediately.
At the time of his escape, authorities said Souzer was considered “extremely dangerous and violent” and should not be approached.
On March 20, Souzer was released from custody after pleading guilty to felony vandalism. He was sentenced to 90 days in county jail and placed on probation for two years afterward.
He checked into a halfway house that day, called Project Kinship in Santa Ana, but left the premises and never returned. He did not notify his probation officer of where he may have been headed.
On March 27, Souzer was located in Rosarito, Mexico where he was arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Mexican officials.
When he was initially released to the halfway house on vandalism charges, prosecutors had “strongly objected to the 90-day credit time served sentence” due to Souzer’s criminal history.
Ike Souzer is seen in a booking photo taken on March 28, 2024. (Orange County District's Attorney's Office)
Ike Souzer, 20, in a booking photo from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
Escaped fugitive Ike Souzer was recaptured on April 17, 2022. (Orange County District Attorney's Office)
Ike Souzer in an undated photo from the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
Ike Souzer, 20, of Garden Grove. (OCDA)
Souzer had stabbed his mother to death when he was 13 years old, attacked three correctional officers, and manufactured a shank while being housed at the Orange County Jail, according to the DA’s office.
In 2021, over prosecutors’ objections, O.C. Superior Court Judge Gary Pohlson reduced felony charges to misdemeanors and gave Souzer 160 days of credit time served for attacking three correctional officers while he was incarcerated.
In October 2023, prosecutors objected to a three-year split sentence after Souzer was convicted of making and possessing a shank in jail.
Instead of the three years in custody sentence prosecutors argued for, Souzer was sentenced to one year of custody time and two years of supervised release. With 50 percent good time/work time credit, he was released from custody three months later in January 2024.
Just days after his release, Souzer was arrested by the Orange Police Department for spray painting graffiti on an underpass underneath the 55 freeway while giving officers a false name.
After a countywide manhunt during that incident, he was eventually located and arrested at a homeless encampment in Anaheim.
“My prosecutors have spent years and years trying to do everything they can to keep this violent criminal behind bars, and at every turn, the very judges who are elected to protect public safety have done little to do so and instead have given him break after break after break,” said O.C. District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “This is not someone who deserves a break; he has turned every opportunity to turn over a new leaf into a new opportunity to break the law and defy law enforcement. He did not simply walk away and forget to check in with his probation officer. The second he was out of custody he set a plan in motion to flee to a foreign country in yet another attempt to escape the consequences of his actions.”
The rewards for two unsolved murders in Southern California were announced by Governor Gavin Newsom’s office Friday.
Leads for the two victims’ cases have gone cold and officials are hoping someone will have further information on their cases. The victims were identified as Victoria Barrios, 18, who was killed in Santa Ana and Alan Schwalbe, 61, who was killed in Costa Mesa.
On Aug. 30, 2019, 18-year-old Barrios was walking with two friends when she was shot during a drive-by shooting just after midnight on the 500 block of East Pine Street in Santa Ana.
Barrios was found suffering a gunshot wound to her torso. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators believe the shooting was gang-related, although police said Barrios was not a gang member and was likely not the intended target.
"I lost my baby,” said Eva Barrios, the girl’s mother. “Someone left her there to die in the street like an animal.”
Police released surveillance footage that captured the shooter firing a weapon while hanging out of a moving SUV, described as a red Chevrolet, possibly a Tahoe. The gunman shouted something just before opening fire, leading police to believe the shooting had gang ties.
Victoria Barrios, 18, is seen in a photo provided by loved ones.
A second victim, a 17-year-old boy, was also found critically wounded nearby on the 300 block of Hickory Street. Police said the boy, who survived, did not appear to have any gang affiliation either.
Eva described her daughter as a confident person who was eager to do good in her community, the Orange County Register reports. The Los Amigos High School graduate was interested in working with law enforcement and criminal justice.
No suspect description or information is known by authorities. Anyone with information on the case is urged to call the Santa Ana Police Department’s Homicide Detectives at 714-245-8390. A $50,000 reward will be offered for information leading to the suspect’s arrest and conviction.
The second unsolved case involves the murder of Alan Schwalbe, 61.
Alan Jay Schwalbe is seen in a photo from the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
On Aug. 11, 1993, Schwalbe was found stabbed to death inside his home on the 300 block of 22nd Street in Costa Mesa.
There appeared to be no evidence of a struggle nor signs of forced entry, authorities said. His home also did not appear to be ransacked.
Despite investigators’ efforts, no suspect leads were obtained as the cold case remained unsolved over the years.
Several items collected at the crime scene were re-submitted for forensic testing. Authorities are hoping new technologies can uncover evidence that was previously undetectable.
“The technology used to process forensic evidence is continuously growing and expanding,” said Investigator Bob Taft, who has specialized in cold cases for the sheriff’s department for the past six years. “Items that may have been undetectable just a few short years ago now have the possibility of being discovered and these discoveries can foster new investigative leads. In addition to new technology, people’s friendships, alliances and associations change over time. People who may have been reluctant to come forward during the original investigation may feel more at ease coming forward now because of a change in these associations.”
A reward of $50,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction for Schwalbe’s murder.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Investigator Bob Taft at 714-647-7055 or email coldcase@ocsheriff.gov.Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling the Orange County Crime Stoppers at 714-628-7675 or online at occrimestoppers.org.
One person died Saturday in a head-on collision in Santa Ana, police said.
Santa Ana Police received reports of a crash between a Chevrolet Tahoe and a Nissan Versa around 9:53 p.m. A preliminary investigation found that the Nissan was traveling westbound on 5th Street over the riverbed when it drifted into the opposite lane of traffic.
After drifting, it hit the Chevrolet head on.
Police said the driver of the Nissan, a woman, died at the scene. Her identity was not immediately released, pending notification of next of kin.
The woman driving the Chevrolet and her toddler, who was a passenger, were both unharmed. She remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators, according to authorities.
The cause of the crash, including whether drugs and alcohol were involved, is under investigation.
The Santa Ana Police Department’s Collision Investigations Unit (CIU) is investigating this incident. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Richard Shin at 714-245-8294 or the Santa Ana Police Department’s Traffic Division at 714-245-8200.
