Undercover cops arrest 5 in beer thefts

VENTURA, Calif. Police said they watched as a group of people walked into the Circle K store in the 1000 block of East Main Street Friday night. An undercover officer was inside, posing as an employee.

Police said the suspects walked straight to the refrigerated cooler, picked up several cartons of beer and then left without paying. Officers said they caught the group as they fled toward a nearby getaway car.

Five people were arrested in the bust, including 19-year-old George Marin of Ventura, 20-year-old William Speer of Ventura, 19-year-old Crystal Sakeda of Oxnard, and two underage teenage girls.