By Khalida Sarwari
It’s no secret that home burglaries have been a major issue in Saratoga for years now. An incident on Dec. 8 had all the makings of yet another terrible statistic. But, what could have had tragic implications ended in a peaceful resolution thanks to the efforts of Santa Clara County sheriff’s deputies and Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety officers.
The two departments banded together to arrest four people who they allege were driving around Saratoga with stolen property. Much of it, according to Marc Lehmann, a lieutenant with the sheriff’s office, belonged to residents of Sunnyvale and San Jose.
The whole thing started in the afternoon of Dec. 8 on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road near Herriman Avenue, according to sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Rich Glennon. Deputy Bradley Davis was driving in the area when he noticed a black Nissan Altima driving on the opposite side of the road without a front license plate. Davis made a U-turn and followed the car while dispatching other nearby deputies. The car was then spotted by Deputy Eric Troglia who tried to stop it, but the driver refused and led the deputy on a short pursuit through residential streets, eventually pulling into a private driveway on Marion Road, Glennon said.
At that point, all four people in the car fled in different directions, prompting the deputies to request additional officers from Sunnyvale, two K-9 units and a helicopter. Residents in the neighborhood were notified about the incident.
Lehmann served as the tactical commander at the scene, overseeing the operation, from coordinating the yard-to-yard searches to the movement of the dogs and helicopter.
Two suspects, both female, ages 23 and 36, were caught fairly quickly by Troglia and Sgt. Dennis Owens, said Glennon. One was found hiding outside a nearby house and the second was hiding near a creek. The other two suspects—19-year-old and 26-year-old men—weren’t quite as easy to capture.
The third suspect was spotted hopping fences on Canyon View Drive and was apprehended by Kodiak, the Sunnyvale police dog, who bit him to keep him in place, said Lehmann. Glennon said the man was armed with a knife.
The fourth suspect managed to escape the area, but evidence left at the scene helped officers track him down later at his home in San Jose. He was arrested around 9 p.m.
All four suspects were charged with felony reckless evading, possession of stolen property, possession of burglary tools and obstructing or resisting officers in the performance of their duties, according to Glennon. One of the female suspects was also charged with felon in possession of chemical spray, because she was carrying pepper spray with her, said Glennon.
One of the suspects also had numerous warrants for his arrest, Lehmann said.
Glennon said he did not know how the four people knew each other. All four are from San Jose.
Aside from the suspect who was bit by the police dog, there were no other injuries, Lehmann said.
“I would say it went pretty well and (the search operation) obviously was effective,” he said.
A ton of stolen property was recovered from the car, which is registered to an associate of one of the suspects and has been connected to vehicle burglaries in Sunnyvale, according to Glennon and Lehmann. Among the items were Nikon cameras, Macbooks and purses.
The officers’ and deputies’ efforts did not go unnoticed, at least by the Saratoga City Council, which on Dec. 20, presented all 29 involved in the case with a commendation recognizing their “dedicated service, resourcefulness, vigilance and rapid response” that day.
Link:
Saratoga: Sheriff’s deputies and Sunnyvale officers team up to thwart home burglary suspects
