EL CAJON, Calif. — Four juveniles were arrested in El Cajon Tuesday after an automated license plate reading camera alerted police of a stolen vehicle.

According to the El Cajon Police Department, a real-time crime alert was sent to law enforcement around 10:30 p.m. The vehicle detected had been reported stolen out of San Diego on Aug. 6.

Officers responded to the location of the alert and were able to locate the vehicle, which police say was occupied by four juvenile suspects. ECPD confirmed all four of the juveniles were arrested and attempts were made to book them into Juvenile Hall.

Although one of the suspects had priors for similar crimes, police say Juvenile Hall refused to accept any of the four and all were released to family members.

ECPD says the automated license plate reading cameras, which were approved by San Diego city officials earlier this month, served as an instrumental tool in this vehicle theft case. Forty of these surveillance cameras have since been deployed in El Cajon.

Anyone with additional information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the El Cajon Police Department at 619-579-3311. Individuals with information who wish to remain anonymous can call the Crime Stoppers tip line at 888-580-8477.