Crime & Safety
Police Bust Teen Crime Ring In San Jose Allegedly Behind Armed Thefts, Business Break-Ins
Suspects, all ages 14 to 16, used stolen vehicles to ram or chain-rip store doors before looting and fleeing, police said.
By Bay City News
SAN JOSE, CA —Six teenagers were arrested in connection with a string of armed vehicle thefts, business burglaries, and attempted carjackings across San Jose between December of last year and this March, police said.
In a statement Tuesday, the San Jose Police Department said the suspects, all males aged 14 to 16, were part of a group that used stolen vehicles to ram stores or rip off doorframes with chains before looting businesses and fleeing the scene.
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The crime spree began on Dec. 24, when four unidentified individuals drove a vehicle into a business on Almaden Road, severely damaging the building's facade before stealing merchandise and escaping before officers arrived. Similar cases were reported in the following weeks.
On March 25, suspects escalated their activity starting at 3 a.m., reportedly stealing two vehicles from a residence and attempting a carjacking shortly afterward. During the attempted carjacking, suspects smashed a vehicle window, threatened the owner with firearms, and fled in multiple vehicles, police said.
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Automated license plate reader technology helped officers find two stolen vehicles in downtown San Jose around 3:40 a.m. One was later found abandoned on an on-ramp at U.S. Highway 101. During a pursuit, a suspect brandished a firearm at an officer.
Around 4:10 a.m., suspects rammed a patrol car and fled on foot. Three juvenile suspects were taken into custody afterward.
The Santa Clara Police Department was investigating similar cases during the same period, according to San Jose detectives.
Following a multi-unit investigation, detectives served arrest and search warrants on June 17. Three more teenagers were apprehended in San Jose and Milpitas. Two adult women, related to two of the juvenile suspects, were also arrested for allegedly discarding evidence and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Police said searches of the residences uncovered a loaded magazine, replica firearms, ski masks, key fobs, an on-board diagnostics reader, ammunition, and steel chains.
Anyone with information related to the case is urged to contact the San Jose Police Department Robbery Unit at 4392@sanjoseca.gov or at (408) 277-4166. Anonymous tips can be submitted through the P3TIPS mobile app, by calling the tip line at (408) 947-STOP, or online at www.siliconvalleycrimestoppers.org. Tipsters whose information leads to an arrest may be eligible for a cash reward through the Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers Program.
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