For about a week, Eddie Monterroso knew what it feels like to be Kobe Bryant. That's because Monterroso—a 23-year-old security guard who, until this week, worked at the Toyota Sports Center in Los Angeles where the Lakers practice—allegedly stole a bunch of Lakers championship rings from an office inside the facility last week.
Additionally, Monterroso allegedly stole about $20,000 worth of gift cards that had been purchased for an upcoming holiday party. And over the course of the last week, Monterroso spent $15,000 worth of those gift cards on things like televisions and iPads. However, the Lakers reported the rings and the gift cards missing back on December 5 and, on Tuesday, police arrested Monterroso outside of the Toyota Sports Center and charged him with felony burglary and grandtheft. They also searched his home a short time later and found both the rings and some of the gift cards that he hadn't used yet, which pretty much makes the case a slam dunk for police.
"Our detectives did a great job in finding out who he was," El Segundo Police Lt. Jaime Bermudez said after the arrest. "It wasn't easily apparent who it was. We caught a couple lucky breaks."
And now, Monterroso is likely going to spend some time behind bars. We hope that getting his hands on some championship rings—which, by the way, were described as "extras" and didn't actually belong to anyone—was worth it.
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[via Daily Breeze]
