Suspected burglary crew arrested during attempted rooftop break-in at local jewelry store

Seven men were arrested Sunday night after police investigators and multiple local agencies interrupted an attempted jewelry store burglary in La Verne, weeks after the same crew allegedly struck a Glendale business.

The arrests follow a May 27 burglary at Bidrussian Jewelry on Glendale Avenue, where suspects cut a hole through the roof and stole an unknown amount of jewelry.

Burglary detectives from the Glendale Police Department launched an investigation and, with the help of partner agencies, began tracking the suspects.

On June 29, officers moved in as the suspects tried to break into Rodeo Jewelers on Foothill Boulevard by cutting through the roof. Authorities said the group also used signal jammers and cut wires during the attempted break-in.

Seven of the eight suspects at the scene were taken into custody with help from the La Verne, Claremont and Glendora police departments, as well as deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Those arrested were identified as Vera Matias, Javier Sepulveda, Luka Pazitiani, Edson Gonzalez, Jose Millafil, Victor Iturriaga Lopez, and Cristian Gonzalez Aburto.

All are foreign nationals and are believed to be connected to similar crimes in the U.S. and abroad, police said.

The men remain in Glendale police custody. Investigators are continuing their work and asking anyone with information to call the department’s Burglary Unit at 818-548-3127.