Officer Eye Witness To Auto Burglary

PALO ALTO, CA -- In a twist of uncanny timing, a Palo Alto police officer witnessed an auto burglar break into a vehicle that led to his consequential arrest, the department reported Tuesday.

Luis Garcia, 18, of Daly City, was taken into custody Friday on suspicion of auto burglary, committing a crime while out on bail, being an unlicensed driver and resisting arrest.

At 7:27 p.m., an officer on patrol recognized a suspect on foot, who was wanted for an auto burglary from December, in a parking garage in the 500 block of High Street. He watched the suspect use a flashlight to look into various vehicles. The officer witnessed the suspect smash a window and grab a purse and various personal items. The suspect then entered a 2003 silver Audi convertible and proceeded to drive out of the garage.

Other officers who were called to the scene attempted to stop the vehicle, but the suspect willfully ignored their commands and fled at a high rate of speed. Law enforcement agencies in the surrounding area received a description of the suspect vehicle. By 9 p.m., the Daly City Police Department located the vehicle with the suspect inside on East Market Street and Hillside Boulevard.

Garcia is on probation for auto burglary out of San Mateo County. He was booked into the Santa Clara County Jail. In the other case police officers are tying him to, the vehicle window was smashed in the 400 block of Bryant Street and personal items including electronics were stolen. Detectives are looking to see if Garcia is connected to other auto burglaries in the city.

Residents and visitors are advised to never leave valuables in a vehicle -- especially where they can be readily seen.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voice mail to 650-383-8984. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through our free mobile app, downloadable at www.bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or www.bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.

--Image courtesy of Palo Alto Police Department