Early Wednesday morning, August 31, just before 1:00 a.m., Clovis Police communications center received a call from a resident in the area of Clovis/Shepherd about three people checking the door handles of cars in their neighborhood.
Officers responded and located 2 of the 3 suspects immediately. The third suspect was found hiding in the bushes minutes later with the help of the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office helicopter, “Eagle One”.
The investigation determined that all 3 suspects drove from Merced in 2 stolen cars, dropping them off in the neighborhood where they were located.
It is fairly common for someone to steal a car, then drop it off at another location just to find and steal another car.
The suspects were identified as 18-year-old Octavia Scott, 19-year-old Anthony Granados, and 18-year-old Taylon Gora, all of Merced.
All 3 suspects were booked into Fresno County Jail for grand theft auto, possession of stolen property, and conspiracy, which are all felonies. Both stolen vehicles were recovered.