SUSPICIOUS DEATH. THEY ARE NOW LOOKING FOR ANY SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE FROM THAT AREA. TONIGHT, TWO SHOP OWNERS ARE STILL PICKING UP THE PIECES AFTER BURGLARS TARGETED THE HERITAGE PLACE BUSINESS CENTER IN NORTH AUBURN. AS KCRA 3’S CORTEZ REPORTS FOR US TONIGHT, THESE BREAK INS WERE PART OF A MUCH LARGER CRIMINAL OPERATION SPANNING FIVE BUSINESSES IN JUST 24 HOURS. AND BASICALLY FORCED ENTRY RIGHT HERE. KICKED OPEN THE DOOR. JUST THE LOCK DOESN’T WORK. WE’LL HAVE TO REPLACE EVERYTHING. THAT’S NOT A BIG DEAL. YOU KNOW, IT’S IT’S KIND OF SPOOKY COMING TO YOUR BUILDING, YOU KNOW, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT KNOWING SOMEONE WAS JUST THERE AND JUST ROBBED YOU. IT’S THE START TO THE MORNING. NO SMALL BUSINESS WANTS AS A BARRAGE OF BURGLARIES STRUCK FIVE BUSINESSES ACROSS THREE CITIES IN A SPAN OF JUST 24 HOURS, THEY KICKED IN THE DOOR AND CROWBAR TO OPEN THE DOOR. I MEAN, IT’S ALMOST LIKE THEY KNEW WHERE THERE WAS, WHERE EVERYTHING WAS. INVESTIGATORS TELLING KCRA THE FIRST BREAK-IN STARTED IN GRASS VALLEY BEFORE MAKING THEIR WAY TO MAX’S DELI AND THIRD EYE TATTOO IN NORTH AUBURN. SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE OBTAINED BY KCRA CAPTURING THAT WHITE SUV PARKING THIEVES HEADED STRAIGHT FOR THE DOOR, CROWBARS IN HAND. THIS IS THE HALLWAY THAT LEADS TO A RESTROOM. AND THEN THIS IS ANOTHER DOOR TO THIRD EYE TATTOO. GOT IT. AND THIRD EYE TOO. YEAH, THEY JUST KICKED THAT IN. AND AND THEN HIS ALARM WENT OFF AND THEY HIGHTAILED IT OUT OF HERE. SEE THE REMNANTS? YEAH. YEAH, YEAH. WE HAVEN’T EVEN CLEANED IT UP YET. 30 MILES AWAY FROM MAX’S DELI. PAINKILLERS, PUB AND COFFEE TARGETED AS WELL. I LOOKED AT MY CAMERAS. AT FIRST I WAS LIKE, OH, MAYBE IT’S JUST MOTION SENSORS. BUT THEN I SAW TWO GUYS IN THE BUILDING GOING THROUGH AND I WAS LIKE, CALL THE POLICE. LIKE, GET THEM HERE. YEAH, WE HAD ANOTHER SAFE ON TOP OF THIS ONE RIGHT HERE. AND THAT’S BASICALLY WHAT THEY GRABBED WITH THE CASH. WOW. BOTH BUSINESSES TELLING KCRA HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS IN EQUIPMENT STOLEN ALONG WITH THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN CASH. YOU KNOW, FOR A LOCAL SPOT THAT DOESN’T HAVE. WE DON’T HAVE THE MONEY OF, YOU KNOW, LAZY DOG OR ANY OF THE BIG CHAINS. EVERYTHING WE DO, EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS. THIS IS STILL VERY MUCH AN ACTIVE INVESTIGATION. OUR DETECTIVES ARE ACTIVELY WORKING TO LOCATE ONE, POTENTIALLY TWO MORE PEOPLE WHO WERE INVOLVED IN THIS. AS OF NOW, AUTHORITIES FINDING THAT WHITE SUV ARRESTING TWO PEOPLE INSIDE, ONE BELIEVED TO BE CONNECTED TO THE BURGLARIES AS A MANHUNT FOR MORE SUSPECTS CONTINUES IN PLACER COUNTY. DENSON CORTEZ KCRA THREE NEWS. NOW, THE ONE PERSON ARRESTED IN CONNECTION TO THESE BURGLARIES, ELIJAH FELIX
Search continues for additional suspects in string of Placer County business break-ins
Burglars target 5 businesses in less than 24 hours; authorities track SUV to Sacramento
Updated: 11:14 PM PST Feb 12, 2026
Detectives are still searching for additional suspects after a string of early-morning break-ins across Placer County and neighboring areas Wednesday.Around 3 a.m., deputies with the Placer County Sheriff’s Office responded to reported burglaries at Max’s Deli and Third Eye Tattoo in North Auburn. By the time deputies arrived, the suspects had already fled.Investigators say three masked individuals used a white BMW SUV during the crimes. That same vehicle was later linked to additional burglaries in Rocklin and Grass Valley earlier that morning.“I looked at my cameras, and at first I was like, ‘Oh, maybe it’s just motion sensors,’ but then I saw two guys in the building going through, and I was like, call the police. Like, get them here,” Painkiller Pub’s owner, Auston Oliver, told KCRA.Detectives with the Placer County Sheriff’s Office and Rocklin Police Department worked throughout the day tracking the vehicle, eventually locating it in Sacramento County.”I was devastated when I came in to know that you were targeted. But with all due respect, I just take it as it comes,” Max Berkowitz, owner of Max’s Deli & Catering, said.With help from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were able to stop the white SUV near 47th Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Sacramento. Two people inside the vehicle were taken into custody.A woman was booked on charges in Sacramento County, while Elijah Felix, of Sacramento, was arrested by Placer County deputies. He faces multiple charges, including burglary, possession of stolen property, conspiracy, a Yuba County burglary warrant, and a violation of Post-Release Community Supervision tied to commercial burglary.Authorities say at least one, and possibly more, suspects are still on the run. Detectives are actively pursuing leads as the investigation remains ongoing. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
PLACER COUNTY, Calif. —
Detectives are still searching for additional suspects after a string of early-morning break-ins across Placer County and neighboring areas Wednesday.
Around 3 a.m., deputies with the Placer County Sheriff’s Office responded to reported burglaries at Max’s Deli and Third Eye Tattoo in North Auburn. By the time deputies arrived, the suspects had already fled.
Investigators say three masked individuals used a white BMW SUV during the crimes. That same vehicle was later linked to additional burglaries in Rocklin and Grass Valley earlier that morning.
“I looked at my cameras, and at first I was like, ‘Oh, maybe it’s just motion sensors,’ but then I saw two guys in the building going through, and I was like, call the police. Like, get them here,” Painkiller Pub’s owner, Auston Oliver, told KCRA.
Detectives with the Placer County Sheriff’s Office and Rocklin Police Department worked throughout the day tracking the vehicle, eventually locating it in Sacramento County.
“I was devastated when I came in to know that you were targeted. But with all due respect, I just take it as it comes,” Max Berkowitz, owner of Max’s Deli & Catering, said.
With help from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were able to stop the white SUV near 47th Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Sacramento. Two people inside the vehicle were taken into custody.
A woman was booked on charges in Sacramento County, while Elijah Felix, of Sacramento, was arrested by Placer County deputies. He faces multiple charges, including burglary, possession of stolen property, conspiracy, a Yuba County burglary warrant, and a violation of Post-Release Community Supervision tied to commercial burglary.
Authorities say at least one, and possibly more, suspects are still on the run. Detectives are actively pursuing leads as the investigation remains ongoing.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel