$7,000 theft of 200 cigarette cartons leads to 2-hour police pursuit, search
One suspect is found hiding under two coats on the floor of residents' car
By Darleen Principe darleen@theacorn.com

A commercial burglary at a Simi Valley Rite-Aid resulted in a fullfledged manhunt last Saturday night after two men allegedly stole 200 cartons of cigarettes worth about $7,000, according to police.

Takis Tucker, 31, of Sherman Oaks and Lamar Jackson, 32 of Los Angeles were arrested by Simi Valley police following a two-hour pursuit.

Officers set up a perimeter around an area near the intersection of Cochran Street and Yosemite Avenue and called in the aid of a Burbank police helicopter.

At 8:42 p.m. on July 14, the manager of the Rite-Aid at 1159 Los Angeles Ave. reported that two suspects had fled through the back door of the store carrying multiple plastic bags.

Tucker and Jackson reportedly left the scene in a Lincoln, which was later spotted by an officer headed eastbound on the 118 Freeway.

According to Sgt. David Livingstone, the two men, after discovering authorities were in pursuit, exited the freeway at Yosemite Avenue.

After crashing their vehicle into a nearby townhouse complex, they proceeded to flee on foot.

"They probably wanted to get into an area where they think they can run and hide," Livingstone said.

Police responded by setting up roadblocks around the neighborhood and searching every car that attempted to leave the location.

According to reports, a vehicle search revealed one suspect concealed under two coats on the floor of a car. The owners of the car were unaware that the suspect was hiding there.

The second suspect was found in the backyard of a home in the 5000 block of Cochran Street.

He was apprehended in a construction area down the block, police said.

Assisting the Simi Valley police in the pursuit were two K-9 teams and a helicopter from the Burbank Police Department.

"Whenever we have people that run, if they're wanted for a felony, we try to use as many resources as we can," Livingstone said.

The suspects were positively identified by the manager of the Rite-Aid in a lineup.

Both were charged with burglary of a commercial structure.

Tucker and Jackson were on parole at the time they were arrested and are not eligible for bail.