By Allyson Escobar
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Calif.
POMONA, Calif. —A man went into the Army Reserve Center in Upland on Monday, Nov. 9, — and drove away with a Humvee worth more than $200,000, authorities said.
After a brief chase through a residential area, Pomona police made an arrest when the semi-armored vehicle stopped in front of a home.
Armando Garcia, a 29-year-old Pomona resident was charged Friday, Nov. 13, in federal court with theft of a U.S. military vehicle, a Department of Justice news release stated.
The theft occurred about noon and ended in front of a home on E. Kingsley Avenue in Pomona. Garcia is on parole after being convicted last year in state court on theft and burglary charges, the news release states.
The complaint alleges Garcia drove off in the Humvee, which was semi-armored with a turret mount. Pomona police saw the Humvee and attempted to stop it. According to an affidavit, the approximately four-minute pursuit saw Garcia speeding, driving on the wrong side of the street and failing to stop at red lights.
Police found a large pair of bolt cutters and an Army-approved padlock that appeared to have been cut inside the Humvee, the complaint states.
Garcia is expected to be turned over to federal authorities later this month.
(c)2020 the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, Calif.)