MALIBU—On Friday, August 6, two men were arrested in Hollywood on suspicion of grand theft auto. Mark Mathison, 34, and Daniel Avalle, 29, who hail from Lakeside near San Diego, are the main suspects in the theft of a 2000 Ford Ranger pickup, which took place in Malibu on July 29. That day, the vehicle’s owner, a 52-year-old man who had been in the ocean at Topanga Beach at the time of its disappearance, alerted police to the theft.
The investigation continued throughout the following week and eventually led police to Hollywood where they located the truck and began surveillance on Mathison and Avalle. On August 5, Malibu police, acting in association with Hollywood police, arrested the two men during a traffic stop near the intersection of Harold Way and St. Andrews Place down the street from Grant Elementary School.
At the time of the arrest, the suspects were found to have, in their possession, numerous items, which could connect them to the car theft. The items included various incriminating tools and an assortment of other suspicious merchandise, which may connect them to other thefts. As police continue their investigation, anyone with information pertaining the crime is urged to contact either the Malibu police department at 310-456-6652 or the Hollywood police at 213-485-4302.
