On Tuesday, April 7 at approximately 2:35 p.m., officers responded to a call from a resident who noticed a black Honda Civic following a FedEx truck as it made deliveries to a residence in the 300 block of Rockford Drive. The witness saw the suspect steal the package from the porch.  The Honda was seen leaving east on Rockford toward Mills Avenue.

Officers received a second call from a resident in the 4400 block of Amundsen Branch about people in an older black Honda Civic who just stole mail. 

The witness followed the Honda until officers arrived in the area and pulled over the driver on Monte Vista Avenue and Base Line Road. Two people in the car were detained.

Further investigation revealed the driver and passenger had been involved in package and mail theft. Officers identified at least 15 victims of theft, including four from Claremont and additional victims from Redlands, Rialto, Fontana, Riverside and Moreno Valley.

The driver of the Honda—Daniel Vavau, 25, from Beaumont—was determined to be under the influence of a controlled substance, in possession of a controlled substance and in possession of burglary tools.   

The passenger—Lyric Mena, 24, from Beaumont—was in possession of a meth pipe. They were arrested and booked into the Claremont jail. Both suspects were later released on citations.