Macon police have linked a group of teenagers and young men to seven metal thefts since June that caused an estimated $500,000 in damage.
Detective Robert Martin said an investigator received a tip that the group was going to steal copper Friday from the air conditioning system on top of Westgate Plaza, located near Eisenhower Parkway and Pio Nono Avenue.
The investigator staked out the shopping center and confronted 17-year-old Justin Williams, two 16-year-old boys and a 12-year-old boy once they got on the roof, he said.
“He found them on the roof with a backpack full of tools,” Martin said.
Detective Matthew Kaase said the boys had screwdrivers, wrenches and other tools needed to remove the radiator from the air conditioning system.
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