Suspects ram stolen van into Chanel store in Beverly Grove
In a story that will surely be repeated many times, a man allegedly robbed a jewelry store on Beverly Hills Boulevard. He then sped away in a rented van, which was later found with its doors unlocked.
As Beverly Hills Detectives explained, the theft of the silver van occurred in late April or early May in what is now known as the Bel-Air Village area of Beverly Hills at the corner of Bel-Air and Highland. The thieves apparently made off with at least two cellphones, a laptop computer and jewelry.
The detectives would later find out that the van was found unlocked on May 1, right by the Highland exit of the boulevard, where it was later located by the owners of a nearby apartment complex.
The stolen cellphones would be recovered, but the van would not be found.
In the meantime, the owners of the Bel-Air Village apartment complex, who recently changed the locks for precautionary reasons, noticed that a black Toyota Camry was parked in the parking lot. Further investigation found that the Camry had a broken window and that there were two smashed headlamps near the rear.
The van was traced to a home on the 2700 block of North Highland Drive in the Highland area.
The Toyota was then impounded by officers, who towed the vehicle.
Detectives said that while the van was not stolen, it was likely taken with force, so the van would be subjected to a search by LAPD crime lab.
The Van’s Owners
Detectives said that the owners of the van are named John and Marilyn Brown.
Detectives would also confirm that the van was leased to a man named Mark Hinton, who lives in Hollywood, not far from where the stolen van was located.
At the time of the theft, Hinton was apparently a regular at the Beverly Hills Jewelry store.
The detectives were also able to confirm that Hinton was listed as a
