A former MGA Entertainment employee was charged with stealing over $1 million in diecast model car collectibles from the company’s factory in the San Fernando Valley, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.

The DA says that on Feb. 14, at approximately 4:30 p.m., 55-year-old Simi Valley resident Luis Tanahara allegedly stole CarTuned collectibles valued at approximately $500,000 from a shipping container at the factory in Chatsworth and loaded the items in his personal vehicle.

He was reportedly employed as a senior product designer for the company at the time.

Then, on March 4, investigators seized over $1 million in CarTuned collectibles from his residence.

The cars are highly valued by hobbyists and collectors, especially when sold in surprise “Master Packs.”

The case was filed for warrant on April 7, and Tanahara was arrested and pleaded not guilty during an arraignment on April 10. He was released on his own recognizance and ordered to stay away from MGA Entertainment, the DA said.

A preliminary hearing is set for May 27 at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center.

Tanahara is being charged with one felony count of grand theft and one felony count of receiving stolen property with special allegations that he stole property valued at over $1 million. If convicted, he faces up to six years in state prison.

“My prosecutors do not come to play: If you steal collectible toy cars or any cargo from our ports,  you will be fully prosecuted,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said. “Diecast cars are not everyday toys or merchandise with a set retail value, they are prized collectibles with a potentially infinite value to a collector, representing a tremendous loss for the victim. My office will continue to fight for our local businesses and hold retail thieves accountable.”  

Investigations are underway into a pair of fires that started about 15 minutes apart, burning two separate residences and leaving one person injured in Los Angeles’ Koreatown neighborhood overnight.

Firefighters were first called to the 3000 block of San Marino Street, where fire was showing from a three-story fourplex at 12:08 a.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Citizen video obtained by KTLA showed the massive flames stretching into the downtown Los Angeles skyline as emergency crews responded.

About 75 firefighters were sent to the scene and extinguished the blaze in a little over half an hour. No injuries were reported.

Sixteen minutes after the San Marino Street fire began, another fire was reported less than two miles away at a four-story apartment building on the 200 block of South Westmoreland Avenue at 12:24 a.m.

Approximately 45 firefighters were assigned to that blaze, which was knocked down after about 45 minutes, according to the Fire Department.

One patient was located suffering from an unknown medical condition. No further details about the patient were provided.

There was no immediate word on what may have caused either fire or whether the two incidents were connected.

A 36-year-old man from Lancaster drowned near Lake Tahoe over Memorial Day weekend, authorities announced Monday.

Officials with the Truckee Police Department said an emergency response was launched on Donner Lake just before 5 p.m. after reports that the victim, identified as Juan Carlos Garcia-Gutierrez, was last seen struggling to stay above water.

Donner Lake is in Truckee, approximately 15 miles north of Lake Tahoe.

Investigators said Garcia-Gutierrez had been out on the water in a pontoon boat when he decided to go for a swim without a flotation device.

“Once in the water, wind conditions caused the boat to drift away and ultimately he was unable to reach the safety of his vessel,” investigators said in a news release.

The lake’s boat launch was temporarily closed as first responders conducted the recovery effort, though difficult weather conditions nearly suspended the search. As darkness approached, wind conditions died down and police continued to look for the victim.

Using a remotely operated underwater vehicle, first responders located Garcia-Gutierrez’s body around 9:20 p.m. in more than 100 feet of water.

“The decedent was brought ashore and released to the Nevada County Coroner’s Office, who serves as the County Coroner,” the release stated.

Police officials thanked the Truckee Fire Protection District and the California State Park Police for their assistance in the recovery operation. They also extended their condolences to the victim’s friends and family.