Samson Nacua Cleared in BMW Mistaken Identity Case

Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies have cleared Samson Nacua, the older brother of Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua, and another man of wrongdoing in the December theft of a BMW SUV belonging to Lakers rookie forward Adou Thiero, determining the incident was a case of mistaken identity.

Samson Nacua, 27, and Trey Rose, also 27, were arrested on December 13 in West Hollywood after Thiero reported his vehicle stolen. Thiero, who had parked his SUV at a valet service, tracked it using a mobile app and alerted authorities when it appeared to be moving along Sunset Boulevard. Deputies located the vehicle at the One Hotel in West Hollywood, where Nacua and Rose had valeted it and were inside the property. Both men were initially detained on suspicion of taking a vehicle without the owner's consent and later released.

Investigators from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department concluded after interviews that Nacua had retrieved the SUV from the valet under the belief it belonged to his brother Puka. Puka Nacua owns a BMW of the identical make, model, and color, though his is one to two years older, according to a department spokesperson. "Samson Nacua believed the...