A man will likely face a slew of charges after he was connected to multiple thefts and burglaries in Riverside and, while already in custody, was found to possess an unregistered handgun and a valuable stolen electric skateboard, police said.
The investigation began with the burglary of a business in the 2000 block of Iowa Avenue in Riverside last month, resulting in the theft of “several thousand dollars” from an ATM and damage to the business, the Riverside Police Department said in a news release.
“The break-in was captured on video and the assigned detective recognized the suspect as a local man on probation for theft-related crimes, 27-year-old Michael Aria Javdani,” the release said.
Detectives then began to connect Javdani to additional thefts and burglaries, police said.
The targets included a sushi restaurant, tea spot, sandwich shop, the County of Riverside Department of Child Support Services building and the VIP Nightclub. The county building and the nightclub were burglarized twice, police said, resulting in the loss of “several thousand dollars from an ATM machine and safe, and causing significantly more in damage to the buildings.”
Investigators believe “he was responsible for at least 7 burglaries and/or thefts where he would break in to the business and steal money from the cash register, steal money from the safe, and in two cases, steal the safe,” the release said.
During the investigation, officials found out that Javdani was already in jail, having previously been arrested by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office “for an unrelated burglary and home invasion robbery,” the release said.
During a search of his home on Tuesday, detectives said they found a loaded and unregistered pistol, as well as a one-wheeled electric skateboard similar to one that had been spotted in footage from some of the burglaries.
That skateboard was stolen last month, according to a post on social media, and the owner was able to confirm the device’s serial number, allowing him to reclaim his $2,000 skateboard, police said.
“It was good old-fashioned police work that led our detectives to identifying this repeat offender breaking into our local businesses,” said Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez. “But it’s also an important reminder to keep records on expensive and unique property just in case anything were to happen. Because the owner of this skateboard kept a receipt with his serial number, along with his tenacity on social media, he’s back riding it again.”
Javdani, who is already on probation in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, will face multiple additional charges in Riverside, though officials did not detail what or how many counts he may be charged with. He remains in custody and is being held without bail.
Jail records show he is due to appear in the Riverside Hall of Justice on July 27.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Victoria Mutuku at 951-353-7209 or VMutuku@RiversideCA.gov.
To report information anonymously, email RPDTips@RiversideCA.gov.