Stolen Fremont Vehicle Recovered In Marin County, Arrest Made: Police

SAUSALITO, CA — An East Bay man was arrested Tuesday afternoon after a license plate reader identified the vehicle he was driving as stolen, Sausalito police said.

Weerawat Pleinnikul, 52 of Fremont, was arrested on suspicion of possessing a stolen vehicle and booked into Marin County Jail, police said.

The arrest is the second involving Sausalito’s license plate recognition in eight days. It follows the March 30 arrest of Jose Gabriel Oliva-Lemus, 35 of Oakland, who led police on a high-speed chase before crashing into the center divider at a Marin shopping center.

Officers at around 3 p.m. on Tuesday responded to license plate recognition cameras alert of a stolen vehicle entering Sausalito, police said.

The 2008 Toyota Sienna, which was reported stolen out of Fremont on Monday, was spotted by the surveillance tool entering Sausalito from the 4000 block of Bridgeway, police said.

Responding officers located the vehicle in the 2600 block of Bridgeway and arrested Pleinnikul, who was the driver and only occupant of the vehicle, police said.

In the March 30 incident, Oliva-Lemus was arrested on suspicion of possessing of a stolen vehicle, evading police in a vehicle, hit and run, reckless driving, and resisting/obstructing officers, police said.

No injuries were reported but Oliva-Lemus was taken to a local hospital for clearance before being booked into county jail, police said.

Oliva-Lemus was on probation for evading officers in Alameda County, police said.

At around 8:40 a.m. on March 30, a license plate reader that identified the 2007 GMC Sierra Olivia was driving as stolen precipitated the pursuit, police said. The vehicle was stolen out of Oakland March 21.

The SPD's license plate recognition cameras notified authorities that the stolen vehicle entered Sausalito from the 300 block of Spencer, police said.

At approximately 8:47 a.m., Sausalito police Corp. Mather located the vehicle on the Spencer Frontage Road and attempted to make an enforcement stop, but the vehicle failed to stop and initiated the pursuit by accelerating onto northbound Highway 101, police said.

A Marin County Sheriff's vehicle joined a Sausalito Police vehicle in the pursuit that covered approximately six miles and reached speeds of around 90 mph, police said.

The pursuit ended when the GMC exited at the Paradise off ramp in Corte Madera and crashed into a concrete center divider and light pole within the parking lot of The Village Shopping Center, police said.

Oliva-Lemus was arrested after trying to run away from the crash scene, police said.

The accident caused damage to the center divider, light pole, and the GMC.

Sausalito's License Plate Recognition Camera program has led to the recovery of 64 stolen vehicles and led to 70 arrests since it was activated in May 2017.

"The goal of the License Plate Recognition Camera program is to increase public safety by utilizing technology to alert law enforcement to wanted vehicles, enhance post-crime investigative abilities, and deter crime by increasing the likelihood of suspect identification," the SPD said in a statement.