MURRIETA: Traffic stop leads to recovery of stolen vehicle
MURRIETA – A Murrieta police officer arrested a Bell Gardens resident after a traffic stop of a stolen car Nov. 10. The officer made the stop in the area of Clinton Keith Road and the I-215.
The officer was on patrol about 2:45 a.m., when he observed a vehicle stopped at a red light. While the officer was watching, the two occupants inside the vehicle saw the officer and abruptly got out of their car and switched positions. Due to the suspicious behavior, the officer conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle.
During the stop the officer conducted a records check on the vehicle and the two occupants. The officer determined that the passenger – who had originally been driving the vehicle – lied about his name in an effort to hide his true identity.
The other person from the car, who had switched to the driver’s seat, identified himself as Ivan Roy Malabrigo, 34, of Bell Gardens. Malabrigo had an outstanding felony warrant for possession of a stolen vehicle, multiple misdemeanor warrants, and an extensive criminal history related to auto theft. Based on his warrants, officers arrested Malabrigo.
As the investigation continued, officers discovered the vehicle they had stopped did not belong to either of the occupants. The officer contacted the registered owner of the vehicle and learned it had been stolen three days earlier in San Diego by Malabrigo.
During a search of the vehicle after Malabrigo’s arrest, officers located narcotics paraphernalia in the area Malabrigo had been sitting in the vehicle.
The officer determined that the second subject in the vehicle was not related to the stolen vehicle or drug paraphernalia and was released at the scene.
Officers booked Malabrigo into the Southwest Detention Center on suspicion of taking a vehicle without owners consent, possession of drug paraphernalia, grand theft, possessing a vehicle known to be stolen, false impersonation of another, auto theft with priors, and his felony warrant.
A jail records search revealed Malabrigo is being held without bail and is scheduled to be arraigned at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta Nov. 15.