TULSA, Okla. — Police arrested three men for stealing thousands of dollars in flooring tile in Tulsa and Owasso.
On Monday around 5 p.m., police were at a Home Depot, near East 91st Street and South Delaware Avenue in south Tulsa, where it was reported three men arrived in a red Ford F-150 and were stealing from the store.
Officers said when they arrived, they found the suspects, later identified as Raul Armenta-Vasquez, Cesar Vasquez and Bryan Hernandez, and detained them while investigating the suspects’ vehicle.
“The store clerk here in charge of security printed out a flyer after finding out that these suspects were in the area,” Tulsa Police Officer Ryan McGlynn said. “Home Depot has been tracking them since January of 2022. They think the total loss was around $80,000.”
When police searched the truck, they found 50 cases of floor tile they believe was stolen.
Police said the three suspects were going to multiple home improvement stores and switching ticket prices so they pay a significantly less amount for flooring than what it’s worth.
“They switch out the SKU on the bottom for a product that’s a dollar,” McGlynn said. “They scan it and eventually they get up to like $16. The boxes retail for $75 a piece, so they’re stealing about $1,500 every time.”
The suspects allegedly hit three Home Depots in Tulsa and one in Owasso all within three hours, police said.
The first store near East 71st Street and U.S. Highway 169 in Tulsa was hit around 3 p.m. The suspects allegedly stole nearly $1,300 worth of tile for only $65.
The second store in downtown Tulsa was hit around 4 p.m. They are accused of purchasing the same amount of tile for $65.
After those, police said they traveled to the Owasso store where they followed the same pattern.
When they arrived at the south Tulsa location on Monday evening, police were able to apprehend them.
“Yesterday they tried to make off with around $3,000,” McGlynn said. “We found 49 boxes in their cars, all Lifeproof flooring. That’s why they’re called the ‘Lifeproof Bandits.’”
Tulsa Police believe the suspects are connected to similar past crimes in Tulsa, Owasso and Texas.
Vasquez, Armenta-Vasquez and Hernandez are facing multiple felony charges.
©2023 Cox Media Group