Four residents of Sacramento County were arrested Monday after authorities say they carried out a series of organized retail thefts in Turlock and Modesto, stealing merchandise worth thousands of dollars before being apprehended outside a WinCo Foods location.
The Modesto Police Department reported that at around 2:08 p.m. on October 6, officers in Turlock alerted Modesto police that a group suspected of retail theft had targeted the Dick’s Sporting Goods store in Turlock and might be headed to Modesto. Loss prevention staff at both stores coordinated their efforts, and soon after, employees at the Modesto Dick’s Sporting Goods observed the suspects arriving.
Surveillance footage showed the suspects’ vehicle parked some distance from the store entrance. According to police, two suspects entered the store while two others stayed outside as lookouts and getaway drivers. Once inside, the suspects took high-value items without concern for prices. When store staff and loss prevention officers intervened, the suspects fled, abandoning about $1,300 worth of unpaid merchandise.
Officers searched the area with help from the department’s Real-Time Crime Center, which used citywide cameras and license plate recognition technology to locate the suspect vehicle near WinCo Foods at 2200 Plaza Parkway. When officers arrived, they saw the suspects leaving WinCo with a shopping cart containing unpaid groceries valued at $533.45. The group loaded the groceries into their vehicle and tried to leave the parking lot, but officers used a mobile spike system to deflate both passenger-side tires of their vehicle. The suspects surrendered shortly after and were taken into custody without incident.
A search of their vehicle revealed approximately $1,900 in stolen merchandise from Dick’s Sporting Goods in addition to the groceries taken from WinCo.
Police identified those arrested as Bryan Tillisbaca, 28; Isaiah Collier, 28; Temajemi Bacafrye, 25; and Jamar Hundley, 25—all residents of Sacramento County. Each faces several felony charges including burglary, attempted burglary, grand theft, receiving stolen property, organized retail theft, conspiracy, and acting together to commit a felony.
Detectives obtained a bail enhancement for each suspect set at $750,000 due to the organized nature of the crimes, their residency outside Stanislaus County, and concerns about further criminal activity.
MPD Lieutenant Kalani Souza highlighted cooperation between agencies such as Turlock Police Department and various divisions within Modesto Police: “This is a great example of how timely communication and teamwork can stop organized theft groups in their tracks,” Souza said. “This crew targeted multiple cities, but thanks to strong interagency cooperation, their operation ended here. Not in Modesto.”
