Following a string of burglaries that began on Christmas Eve, police say a group of adolescent males are in prison after stealing cars and driving them into stores throughout the Bay Area.
The San Jose Police Department said in a news release on Monday that the youths, who are between the ages of 14 and 16, broke into many businesses over the course of three months.
Surveillance footage from a March burglary shows the teenagers tearing off the front door of a liquor store and chaining the rear of a car. They filled the car trunk with the stolen items after rifling through the business. The security film shows the sound of glass bottles clanking.
On Christmas Eve, the first incidence was reported.
According to police, four suspects broke into and looted a store off Almaden Road next to a freeway. By the time police arrived, the culprits had left, and in the weeks that followed, several reports of cars being driven into buildings were made.
However, officials said that after several run-ins throughout San Jose, law enforcement eventually apprehended the team on March 25. They allegedly attempted to carjack a neighbor around fifteen minutes after stealing two cars from a house at around three in the morning. According to the police, when the suspects broke into a car and the owner confronted them, they used a revolver to chase him away, setting off the alarm that let them all escape.
However, police reported that after receiving a hit on a license plate reader, they discovered suspects in two of the cars in downtown San Jose about half an hour later.
The cars resisted stopping and fled, albeit briefly, when police attempted to pull them over. Following a foot pursuit, one suspect was apprehended after one of the cars was eventually discovered disabled on a freeway onramp. According to authorities, a second suspect in that vehicle who was pointing a gun at an officer managed to escape.
According to officials, a police pursuit resulted in the apprehension of two additional crew members about 4 a.m. During their attempt to flee, one suspect crashed their vehicle into a police cruiser.
The three remaining crew members were identified and warrants for their arrest were issued after San Jose Police investigations discovered that Santa Clara police were also looking into comparable crimes in their area.
They were arrested on June 17 at residences in San Jose and Milpitas. According to authorities, two women connected to the teenagers were also taken into custody after they were charged with resisting arrest, receiving stolen property, disposing of evidence, and aiding a child.
Investigators searched the homes and discovered a loaded firearm magazine, steel chains, ammo, ski masks, car key fobs, a tool for accessing vehicle diagnostic data, and multiple imitation firearms.
