Drone Leads Police To 3 Men Accused In 2 San Mateo Break-Ins

SAN MATEO, CA — Police utilized a drone to track three burglary suspects accused of breaking into two homes in a San Mateo neighborhood and stealing items valued at more than $50,000, according to investigators.

In a news release, the San Mateo Police Department said one of the victims called 911 on Tuesday evening while watching a live security feed of two people ransacking his home on Mission Drive. Several officers rushed to the scene and set up a perimeter around the neighborhood.

Officers discovered the suspects had left the home before they arrived and sought out witnesses and surveillance cameras while setting up a "systematic search" of the area. According to police, they soon learned three people were involved and had burglarized another home nearby.

Investigators searching the area reported the suspects jumping a fence into the backyard of a home on West Capistrano Street and moved to surround the home. Officers deployed a drone with a camera and located the suspects attempting to hide in different areas of the yard.

Police said one man was found while trying to hide in a portable bathroom, and a second was arrested as he ran out of the backyard. The third suspect was found and arrested hiding on the home's roof.

Investigators have identified the three suspects as:

• Jhon Larotta-Vargas, 41, of Orlando, Fla.
• Leonardo Sanchez-Martinez, 34, of Los Angeles.
• Jesus Velez-Hernandez, 32, of Simi Valley.

The three men were booked in the Stan Mateo County Jail on suspicion of first-degree burglary, grand theft, possession of stolen property, conspiracy to commit crime, and obstructing or resisting an officer.