Men charged with stealing car engine parts

Two Compton men are due back in court next week on charges they were stealing car engine parts from vehicles in Irvine.

Geronimo Colin, 33, and Gilberto Martin Gutierrez, 34, were arrested when an Irvine police officer noticed their vehicle in a closed business complex just before midnight Jan. 30. The officer saw the car parked next to a Toyota Tacoma truck, a popular target by thieves for its catalytic converter, officials said.

The officer determined they were trying to steal the truck’s engine part and also found a stolen catalytic converter in their car, according to police. The pair were charged with attempted grand theft and Gutierrez was also charged with possession of burglary tools.

They have pleaded not guilty and have a pretrial hearing scheduled at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach on Wednesday.

—Joseph Serna