South Bay Catalytic Converter Theft Suspect Arrested

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA — A catalytic converter theft suspect was arrested earlier this week, Mountain View police said.

Charles Raposas, 34 of Salida (Stanislaus County) was arrested on suspicion of burglary, police said.

Officers at around 10:30 p.m. Monday responded to a report from a security guard of a burglary in progress in the 1000 block of Space Park Way, police said.

The security guard provided a detailed description of the suspect and said the suspect was last seen running out of an enclosed RV lot that is secured by locked fences, police said.

Arriving officers determined the suspect escaped the parking lot through a cut fence and noted that several catalytic converters had been taken from vacant RVs, all of which were subsequently recovered, police said.

Raposas was arrested after officers established a perimeter around the area he was last seen.
“With the assistance of a Sunnyvale DPS K9, a backpack belonging to the suspect was found a short distance away,” police said in a statement.

The backpack contained burglary tools and an additional catalytic converter, police said.

Officers and the K9 eventually found Raposas hiding in a creek.

“This was quick, thorough and fantastic work by our patrol teams and I am incredibly grateful for the partnership we have with Sunnyvale DPS and for their ability to quickly respond to assist,” Mountain View Police Chief Chris Hsiung said in a statement.