Two men arrested in Yucca Valley for investigation into Amboy commercial train heist

Two men were arrested in Yucca Valley in connection with an investigation into a commercial train heist near Amboy.

On Friday, at approximately 9:45 p.m., San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies received a report from BNSF Railway investigators of a train burglary near Amboy. Deputies say the robbery was estimated to involve between 15 and 20 vehicles, some of which were white box trucks, containing roughly $50,000 in Ariat boots and DeWalt construction equipment.

According to the Sheriff’s deputies, roughly an hour later, near 10:40 p.m., an off-duty deputy from the Morongo Basin Station noticed a white box truck driving westbound on Twentynine Palms that matched the description of the stolen cargo provided by BNSF investigators. The Sheriff’s Department said that the deputy notified law enforcement, and an on-duty officer located the suspected box truck near the intersection of Twentynine Palms Highway and Cholla Avenue in Yucca Valley. 

Deputies say that they conducted a traffic stop and detained one occupant while two others fled from the vehicle. Law enforcement reports that Sheriff’s deputies pursued the fleeing suspects with the assistance of an aviation unit, which located one suspect hiding in a bush. Deputies took Eddiel Burgos, 30, and Pastor Pena Lerma, 43, both of Sinaloa, Mexico, into custody.

Eddiel Burgos and Pastor Pena Lerma were arrested for an investigation into commercial burglary and grand theft of cargo exceeding $950. Both have since been released on bail.

According to law enforcement, this is an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact the Morongo Basin Station at (760) 366-4175 or submit an anonymous tip via the link in this story at Z107.7FM.com.