Another Car Crashed Into a Richmond Home, Stolen Items Found

RICHMOND, CA- Richmond Police officers responded to a suspicious vehicle call and ended up finding a car that crashed into a house.

Here's what Richmond Police Department had to say about the incident:

RPD officers responded to a call of a suspicious car in the city's Northern District, DeAnza neighborhood. The caller reported that the car appeared to be casing the area to burglarize houses.

An officer arrived in the area and spotted a car that closely matched what the caller described. As the officer made a U-turn to investigate, the suspicious car sped away. The officer didn't see where the car went, but thanks to our community residents, he was directed to the correct street the car had fled.

Much to the officer's surprise, he found the car crashed into a house. The two occupants of the car had fled.

The officer was quick to set up a perimeter around the area with other assisting officers. No one inside the house was struck or injured by the car.

DeAnza High School was placed on lock-down status to ensure the students' and school staff's safety. After a search of the area, the passenger of the car was found near the front of the high school and he was apprehended. The driver fled and eluded capture, for now.

A search of the car revealed several satchels of what appeared to be stolen property. RPD's Property Crimes Detective P. Martin quickly responded to the scene and started to follow-up on leads. The car is possibly an unreported stolen car, but we haven't been able to get a hold of the rightful owner. The detective confirmed that a residential burglary had in fact occurred.

The arrestee was booked for possessing stolen items and for an outstanding warrant. Between surveillance footage from the high school and good old-fashioned police work, the driver's arrest warrant is just around the corner. And on a really positive note, victim's belongings were returned back to them.

We are relieved to report that nobody was hurt from this incident. This is a great example of community policing - the community residents stepping up and being partners with their police officers. Without the caller who reported about the suspicious car, or the residents who pointed out where the car had fled, our officers wouldn't have been able to arrest the perpetrator. Great job by all!

Be our crime prevention partner. If you see suspicious persons or cars in your neighborhood, please report it and if you choose, you may remain anonymous. Call 911 if it is an emergency or (510)233-1214.

Photos and release via Richmond Police Department's Facebook.