Utility and construction companies battle copper thieves every night and early Tuesday, San Diego police came close to catching two people in the act.
San Diego police searched for two people who they say stole copper from a San Diego Gas & Electric substation shed in an area east of the Interstate 5/Interstate 805 merge and south of Carmel Mountain Road.
Police arrived around 3 a.m. Tuesday with two K-9 units after security guards said the theft was captured on surveillance cameras.
The suspects were seen and heard but it was dark and the brushy, dense terrain was difficult to search, officials said.
Around dawn, just as police wrapped up their search, neighbors told police they didn’t recognize a pickup truck parked near the substation.
Officers said they found bolt cutters and copper wire in the truck bed. They also found bolt cutters at the scene.
Investigators said there was enough evidence to impound the pickup truck, and it was towed.
However, officers said the suspects were probably still in the area as of this morning.
