Shoplifting suspect arrested after hiding from police in the trunk of a Tesla in Irvine

Irvine police released a bizarre video earlier this week showing a shoplifter hiding from them in the trunk of a Tesla.

According to an Instagram post, officers from the department team at the Irvine Spectrum Center were alerted to a suspected shoplifter at Sephora on Wednesday.

After the store's anti-theft device failed to stop her, she ran into the parking lot, police said.

“A respectable citizen told officers he observed the suspect getting into a white Tesla,” the post said, adding that the person was seen climbing into the trunk.

The officer knocked on the trunk and made several announcements before finding the suspect, identified as 35-year-old Emely Yanagida of San Marcos, hidden under a light green tarp.

When confronted, the suspect said she was “terrified” after the police “came after her” because she believed the police were “accusing her of taking something.”

They found $600 worth of stolen Sephora items and $250 worth of stolen Lululemon merchandise.

The video shows Yanagida claiming she “came in with the stuff” as officers pull the Lululemon out of her bag.

Yanagida was arrested for possession of burglary tools, resisting prosecution and shoplifting, police said.