As Irvine police were taking the description of a man suspected in multiple burglaries and thefts — including stealing a 5-year-old's bicycle — witnesses spotted him and officers chased him into an Irvine marsh and arrested him.
Officers on foot followed Tony Angulo, 32, of Riverside, after he fled from an apartment complex on Turtle Crest Drive on Dec. 9.
They arrested him on suspicion of auto theft, multiple thefts from vehicles and residential burglary.
About 9:30 a.m. that day, police received a call about suspicious activity in a church parking lot.
A woman told police that a man was walking in and around vehicles and when she started her car and made eye contact, he left the area.
About an hour later, police responded to the Turtle Ridge Apartments, where a small amount of cash had been stolen from an unlocked car, according to a news release from the department.