Suspected Identity Thief, Boyfriend In Custody After Allegedly Escaping LAPD Car Chase, Skipping Court Hearings
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A prolific identity thief and her boyfriend are both finally in custody after two car chases and two aborted court proceedings.
Robert Carrasquillo, 31, was taken into custody Tuesday night after a short pursuit that ended at Rolling Road and Oxnard Street in Woodland Hills. He is being held on $425,000 bail.
Carrasquillo was first taken into custody on suspicion of felony evading after abandoning a luxury sports car at the end of a high-speed pursuit. During that chase, police say his girlfriend, 34-year-old Suppatra Tansuvit, got away by running from the moving vehicle when patrol units went into tracking mode.
An investigation started in December 2017 by a Veteran Financial Crimes detective identified Tansuvit as the suspect in a complex case of identity theft involving several incidents, suspects and victims, according to the LAPD. Tansuvit was charged with multiple felony counts of identity theft with priors, but after previously being released on bail, she failed to show up in court for her own jury trial. A felony bench warrant was issued for her arrest.
Tansuvit was arrested on Aug. 14 as the result of surveillance on her home in the 1000 block of Wilshire Boulevard. Detectives searched her home and found a credit card mill and identity theft making equipment, along with nearly $5,000 in cash on her person, LAPD officials said.
She is being held on more than $2 million bail, but has been placed on a probation hold due to her history of skipping bail and fleeing prosecution, police said. She is scheduled to make her next court appearance Wednesday.
After last month's car chase, Carrasquillo was arrested on suspicion of felony evading. He posted bail and failed to appear for court. He was a considered a fugitive when he was spotted by police Tuesday night.