By Police1 Staff
SANTA ANA, Calif. — After learning of a man down on his luck, a few officers pitched in to make his day better.
According to CNN, Adrian Salgado, a gardener, was getting ready for work when two thieves hijacked his pickup truck and stole around $3,000 worth of possessions. Along with his truck, $1,000 in cash that he was going to use for rent, his cell phone, leaf blower, hand tools and a mower were stolen.
After learning what happened, Salgado’s daughter reported the incident to police.
Police were able to find the truck and arrest the two men, who each had $500 in their pockets, but officers couldn’t prove it wasn’t their money and weren’t able to return it to Salgado. Most of the equipment was also gone.
That’s when Officer Lysette Murillo came up with an idea to donate their own money to help Salgado replace some of his stolen items.
After officers raised $500, Murillo contacted Santa Ana Officers Association President Gerry Serrano, who donated another $500. Seven officers then went to Home Depot to purchase replacement items. The store ended up donating another $100 and a shopper donated another $40 after learning what the officers were doing.
After Salgado got the items, he immediately returned to work, which “floored everyone,” according to Santa Ana Police Sgt. Michael Gonzalez, who told CNN Salgado reminded him and some of his colleagues of their own fathers.
“We all came from working-class families,” Gonzalez told CNN. “It was like, ‘hey, that’s my dad.’”
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