CORONA

Corona Thai Restaurant Owner and Son Confront Thieves

The father and son who own a Thai restaurant, Thai Tuk Tuk, say this was their third time getting burglarized.

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A Corona restaurant owner and his son say they confronted thieves who broke into their restaurant Thursday morning and were chased on the freeway. 

They say they fought back because they refused to be victims of theft again.

The father and son who own a Thai restaurant, Thai Tuk Tuk, say this was their third time getting burglarized.

Only this time, it was a lot more dangerous as the thieves also tried to kidnap the building landlord.

Thanksgiving morning, around 4 a.m. security cameras from Thai Tuk Tuk restaurant show two hooded men breaking into the business.

Another camera showed one burglar rummaging through the cash register.

Seemingly unfazed by the alarm, the two men go on for 40 seconds, stealing what they can before taking off.

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Corona detectives say the building landlord who lives nearby, was alerted by the alarm. And when she got there and tried to intervene, police say the men pointed a gun to her head and tried to take her phone away and then tried dragging her into their car. She managed to escape.

Moments later is when the restaurant owners showed up.

“When we got here -- they were in the process of getting in their car and leaving already. Right then, we decided to follow them, slowly slowly slowly,” the restaurant owner’s son said. 

The father and son asked to remain anonymous, fearing for their safety.

Police say the burglars also pointed a gun at the owners, before they headed onto the 91 freeway East.

“I think the driver started to pick up that we were following them, and then that's when it became a speed chase on the 91 a little bit,” the restaurant owner’s son said. 

He says he was on the phone with police, giving them directions. 

And thanks to his directions, officers were right there when the thieves bailed from their car on the freeway shoulder and all three men were arrested.

“We were a victim of a theft before. So basically, we just don't want to be victims again,” the restaurant owner’s son said. “It just felt like the right thing to do, you know? you gotta go after them sometimes.”

It is unclear how much cash was recovered.

Police say all three men are from LA County and are now in custody with $1 million dollar bail enhancements.

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