Woman accused of shoplifting at Irvine mall arrested after hiding in Tesla trunk

(KGTV) -- A San Marcos woman was arrested after police said she stole $850 worth of merchandise from Sephora and Lululemon stores at an Irvine shopping mall and tried to hide from police in the trunk of a Tesla.

The incident took place on the afternoon of Aug. 14 at the Irvine Spectrum Center, according to the Irvine Police Department.

Police said the woman -- later identified as 35-year-old Emely Yanagida, of San Marcos -- was seen shoplifting from a Sephora store at the mall.

“When loss prevention tried to stop her, she refused to stop,” police stated on a post on the department’s Facebook page .

A witness told police they saw the woman get into a white Tesla and crawl into the car’s trunk.

“Officers opened the trunk after multiple knocks and announcements and found the suspect hiding,” police said.

Officers discovered $600 worth of goods stolen from Sephora and $250 worth of goods stolen from Lululemon in the car.

According to police, Yanagida was arrested on suspicion of possessing burglary tools, resisting arrest, and shoplifting.

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