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‘His wheels weren’t hot enough': California police bust $54,000 Hot Wheels thief

The man was booked into the West Valley Detention Center on suspicion of burglary, possession of stolen property and grand theft, the Colton Police Department stated

By Summer Lin
Los Angeles Times

COLTON, Calif. — Colton police arrested a man Thursday suspected of stealing $54,000 worth of Hot Wheels cars from a freight train, according to authorities.

The Colton Police Department responded about 3 a.m. to reports of a train burglary near Mason Street, according to video posted on the Police Department’s Facebook page.

“Yeah, they’re robbing the trains down here at the end of Maple Street,” an unknown caller reported to the police in the video.

An officer was near the intersection of 7th Street and La Cadena Drive and then followed a man in a black Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck, according to the video. The officer then pulled the driver over and took him into custody.

The man was booked into the West Valley Detention Center on suspicion of burglary, possession of stolen property and grand theft, according to the Police Department post.

Police recovered 350 boxes of Hot Wheels toy cars valued at about $54,000, according to the post.

“His wheels weren’t hot enough to get away!” the police department wrote in the post.

Police didn’t release the man’s identity or further details about the case.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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