The Susanville Police Department has made four more arrests in connection to the recent string of burglaries that have plagued Susanville for the last few weeks. Steven Michael Friend, 20, of Susanville, was taken into police custody at the scene of an attempted break-in around 2:15 a.m. on Tuesday, July 8, near Hart’s Café on Main Street. He was arrested along with three unidentified minors.

A deputy with the Lassen County Sheriff’s Department saw four people acting suspicious near the restaurant. When the deputy approached the subjects, they started running away.

It was later determined that the suspects were trying to force open the coin box to a newspaper stand near the café. Further investigation at the scene indicated the suspects might have been involved with three other break-ins that happened earlier in the evening.

SPD officers and Sheriff’s deputies responded immediately, cordoning off the area around where the suspects were last seen. According to the SPD, Friend and two of the minors were quickly located walking through a retirement complex on Mesa Street. The fourth suspect was taken into custody later in the day, without incident.

Earlier in the evening, officers had responded to an alarm going off at Verizon Wireless on Main Street. Officers arrived at the scene to find that a swamp cooler in the back of the business had been removed. Evidence at the scene suggested that one or more of the suspects had used the hole left by the swamp cooler to gain entrance to the building. According to the press release, police investigating the scene found nothing missing, which lead them to believe the alarm inside the business scared the suspects away.

Later on the morning of Tuesday, July 8, more burglaries were discovered in town, including at Susanville Supermarket on Main Street and M&M Treasures located on McDow Street. As officers investigated the scene, information surfaced indicating that additional suspects might have been involved in these burglaries, as well as other recent burglaries in the city limits.

The July 8 break-ins are only the most recent in a string of break-ins that have occurred around the city and affected a variety of businesses, primarily along Main Street. Businesses that have been hit include Mugsy’s hot dog stand, Fred’s Barbershop, Domino’s Pizza, The Beauty Corral, Chevron gas station, and Big O Tires. Mugsy’s was broken into twice within a week.

Police arrested Lindsey Brazzanovich, 21, of Susanville, for allegedly possessing burglary tools on Thursday, July 3. His arrest happened right after the burglary at Chevron and the second burglary at Mugsy’s, both occurring in the early morning of Thursday July 3. Police officials couldn’t confirm whether they believed Brazzanovich was connected to any of the previous burglaries .

According to SPD Captain Tom Downing, businesses with alarm systems installed have generally avoided items being stolen, saying that burglars are generally scared away by the sound of the alarms going off.

“It should be common practice at this point, regardless of your business,” Downing said. “It’s essentially an insurance policy on your business.”

The case is being referred to the Lassen County District Attorney’s Office. Police officials said the investigation is still open, and additional arrests are expected.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the police at 257-2171. Callers can remain anonymous.