4 suspects arrested in Southern California organized theft investigation

Fontana authorities have arrested four men believed to be part of a South American organized crime group following an investigation into a vehicle burglary and related thefts across Southern California, officials said.

The case began on Oct. 11, when a woman withdrew $80,000 in cash from a bank in Fontana. Detectives say the victim was followed to a secondary location in the city, where her car was burglarized and the money stolen.

Investigators from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department’s Fontana Station, working closely with the Fontana Police Department, identified four suspects: Braham Jul Avila Gomez, 28; Eddy Bogota Garzon, 42; Claudio Fernando Mena, 44; and Jose Fernando Pinto Ramirez, 32.

Authorities said the suspects were members of a South American Theft Group special