Sporting goods store helps Ahwatukee couple get their golf gear back from thieves

AHWATUKEE, Ariz. (KSAZ) -- Two men are behind bars with the help of an east valley sporting goods store.

Police say the suspects showed up to sell golf equipment stolen from an Ahwatukee home. But the store was tipped off before those men came in.

A manager at Play It Again Sports near Warner and McClintock in Tempe says a young Ahwatukee couple went into the store on Wednesday to report their golf equipment missing.

"They were really bummed out, man she did not look happy at all, just because she was training all year for this tournament and they were about to go out and train some more so they were really down about it and we felt really bad too," said Nicholaus Mazzochi.

The store wrote down what items were missing, which included two ladies bags and a men's bag, full of gera.

"There was a set of ladies irons that were in there, maybe a couple years old. We had a Callaway Diablo men's driver in there. We had a bunch of miscellaneous clubs and whatever else was in their bags, too, they had golf balls and other equipment," Mazzochi said.

The couple left the store. Within about a half hour, the business says the suspects happened to come in with the stolen loot.

"I called the police in the back room and let them know what was happening and the other manager kind of stalled and then they had them stay in the store as long as they can," Mazzochi said.

Police showed up and took Samuel Bogues and Christopher Serrano into custody.

Officers say Bogues stole the gear out of the couple's garage while Serrano acted as the getaway driver. The suspects also had a bicycle stolen from a home in Chandler.

The Ahwatukee couple returned to the store Wednesday night to get their stuff back.

"We don't work with thieves at all. We don't want them anywhere near the store, and we were just really glad we could get those clubs back to those people," Mazzochi said.