SAN MATEO — An attempted burglary early Tuesday led to the arrest of three East Bay residents, one a 16-year-old Oakland boy, and the discovery of thousands of dollars worth of stolen tools, authorities said.
Police said Wednesday they have identified some of the stolen property as belonging to San Mateo County residents and that the suspects might be connected to thefts in Hayward and other East Bay cities.
Police said that about 1:17 a.m. Tuesday, dispatchers received a call that a vehicle was actively being broken into on the 400 block of North Bayshore Boulevard in San Mateo. The suspects broke a window of a utility work truck and were attempting to steal tools from the vehicle.
As officers were responding, the suspects got into a white Dodge Charger with paper plates and fled northbound on Bayshore Boulevard before police could arrive.
Officers arrived on scene and found camera footage of the suspects and of the vehicle they were driving. Officers continued to search for the suspect vehicle and found it approximately 30 minutes later near the intersection of Hillsdale Boulevard and South Norfolk Street.
Upon seeing police, the driver of the Charger immediately fled and drove onto nearby northbound Highway 101, then merged onto eastbound Highway 92 before being stopped by officers near the Edgewater Boulevard exit. The three suspects were safely detained.
Officers discovered the Dodge Charger was reported stolen from Fremont on Nov. 17 and found the back seat was full of suspected stolen tools, tool bags and toolboxes.
The driver of the stolen vehicle, a 24-year-old Hayward man, and the two passengers, the juvenile and a 25-year-old Oakland man, were all placed under arrest on suspicion of multiple charges including auto burglary and possession of a stolen vehicle. The adults were booked into San Mateo County jail and the juvenile was released to a guardian.
The investigation is continuing and officers are trying to locate all of the owners of the stolen goods. Police said someone believing they were targeted by the suspects should first make a report to their local law enforcement agency before calling San Mateo police at 650-522-7700 with a case number.
Staff writer Rick Hurd contributed to this report.