An investigation between the Brookings Police Department and authorities in South Dakota and Minnesota has led to the arrest of two men in connection with home and vehicle burglaries that occurred in Brookings on Nov. 11.
Dakota Durrani, 18, and Mitchell Arevalo, 24, were taken into custody at the Minnehaha County Jail, according to Brookings Police Detective Adam Smith. Both men were arrested on suspicion of first-degree burglary, third-degree burglary, identity theft, aggravated criminal entry of a motor vehicle, possession of stolen property, grand theft, and criminal entry of motor vehicles, Smith said Thursday.
Smith noted that due to cooperative efforts of the police departments in Brookings, Brandon and Elk Point, along with help from multiple other agencies, law enforcement was able to solve the numerous home and vehicle burglaries throughout southeastern South Dakota and recover 10 firearms.
Smith said interviews were conducted with Durrani and Arevalo and both confessed to their involvement in the burglaries and thefts from Brookings, Brandon and Elk Point. Additionally, they assisted investigators with recovering six stolen firearms from one of the burglaries in Brandon, and four other firearms plus a silencer were turned over to law enforcement. One of the firearms was found to be stolen out of Elk Point.
During the course of the Brookings Police Department’s investigation of the burglaries, it was discovered that similar incidents had been reported in Brandon and Elk Point in November.
Video surveillance from local community members was obtained and a maroon SUV was identified as likely being involved. The suspects used stolen credit cards in Minnesota. The Mall of America security dispatch assisted with locating and tracking the suspects on video to a maroon Chevy Tahoe. The Bloomington (Minnesota) Police Department then assisted with identifying the license plate of the suspects’ vehicle using its Automated License Plate Readers, Smith said.
On Nov. 22 in Minnehaha County, the South Dakota Highway Patrol arrested Durrani driving the Chevy Tahoe used in the burglaries. At that time, he was arrested for an outstanding warrant out of Florida.
On Nov. 30, the Minnehaha County Warrant Task Force arrested Arevalo at his mother’s residence in Sioux Falls, according to Smith. Subsequently, a search warrant was executed at the residence by the Brookings and Brandon police departments with assistance from the Elk Point and Sioux Falls police departments. Stolen property from some of the burglaries was recovered, along with clothing the suspects wore while using the stolen credit cards and merchandise purchased with the stolen credit cards.
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