SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – A man was arrested in connection with a Thursday morning burglary at an Allied Gardens comic book and toy store in which numerous Lego sets were stolen, according to San Diego Police.
At around 4 a.m., the owner of TC’s Rockets (located on 5155 Waring Rd.) contacted police after two people were seen smashing the store’s front door glass and placing store merchandise in a car.
Officers in the area saw a car matching the description of the vehicle linked to the break-in and tried to stop it on College Avenue, but the car sped away onto westbound Interstate 8.
With officers in pursuit, the car reached speeds of over 100 MPH as it transitioned to northbound Interstate 15 and exited on Friars Road.
The car then got back onto the freeway, briefly going north on the southbound lanes before police lost track of it.
A short time later, the car was found abandoned on the shoulder of I-15, but the two suspected thieves were not at the scene.
Officers spotted a man tied to the break-in hiding at a nearby embankment and arrested him; the other suspected burglar was not located.
Police searched the vehicle and recovered an unspecified number of expensive Lego collector sets.
The store's owner told ABC 10News reporter Natay Holmes that Thursday's burglary was the third time thieves hit his business.
In 2021, thieves broke a glass case containing rare comic books and stole the items. The owner said the comics were worth $40,000.
On Aug. 7, 2022, thieves stole $9,000 worth of Lego kits.
The owner said the Lego sets taken in Thursday's break-in were worth around $3,500.
