UPDATE: Images of a vehicle captured on neighborhood cameras as it left the scene of a burglary on Sweet Drive Thursday have led to the identification of the car and the arrest of a suspect, Lafayette police said Wednesday.
Witnesses confirmed the vehicle captured on the cameras was the vehicle from the crime scene and LPD investigators were able to determine the car bore the license plate 4NKK208.
Investigators entered the license number as a wanted vehicle in the California Law Enforcement Telecommunication System and Tuesday morning California Highway Patrol officers located the vehicle traveling on south-bound Interstate 680 in Pleasant Hill. The driver and sole occupant of the car was arrested without incident, according to Lafayette Police Chief Eric Christensen.
The driver of the vehicle was later identified as the subject who had burglarized the home, according to police. The car was impounded and the suspect was later transported and booked at the Martinez Detention Facility.
LPD investigators are expected to file charges with the District Attorney’s Office on Thursday. It was not immediately known if any of the jewels taken in the Sweet Drive burglary were recovered.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Readers were advised of an apparent attempted burglary on Sweet Drive in Lafayette Thursday. As it turns out, the burglar appears to have been successful – but Lafayette police were successful in obtaining a photo of the thief’s car.
As we reported, police responded to an interrupted burglary in the 3300 block of Sweet Drive at 10:39 a.m. on Thursday, the homeowner coming home to hear the sound of someone else inside the residence and abandoning the home to notify police – who arrived quickly.
The resident told officers they had seen a black male in braids and hoodie running from the home to a nearby car and police began an immediate search for the suspect and the car, described as a dark silver BMW.
Officers were unable to locate the suspect and determined upon further investigation that the thief had stolen several pieces of jewelry. Crime Scene Investigators were able to collect additional items of evidence from the residence and a photo of the car as it left Lafayette was obtained.
Police believe the suspect gained entry to the home through an unlocked exterior door. Investigators determined the suspect fled from the scene in the BMW traveling along Sweet Drive to Woodview Drive. The suspect then drove down Glenside Drive to Reliez Station. The suspect vehicle traveled through the intersection of Reliez Station and Olympic Boulevard, exiting the city at 10:43 a.m.
Investigators are asking residents to review their security camera systems for images they may have captured of the suspect in the neighborhood or along the route he used. Anyone with pertinent information is asked to contact the police Tip Line at 94549Tip@gmail.com.
Suspect Vehicle:
Suspect Vehicle 2001 BMW 3 Series, Four Door, Sunroof and Dark Silver in color.
Suspect:
African-American Male, 6’0″ to 6’3″, Black braided shoulder length hair, Blue Jeans wearing a dark “hoodie” style sweatshirt. to escape. Residents are asked to check their systems between the times of 10:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. Residents who have video or saw the suspect/vehicle in the neighborhood are asked to contact the dispatch center at (925) 284-5010.
Its a sad day when the bad guys drive better guys than I do.
There’s a reason they’re driving nice cars. Sadly, crime pays – until you’re caught.
Nice detail with picture of car, description of suspect, time line and streets taken while exiting. This information makes me want to get involved.
Hopefully someone will come forward with more information.
@George – VERY good description as you say, George, with nice picture of the car, too. We are seeing these stolen for the crime outing mostly, but hopefully it will turn into something. We feel for the homeowner who lost their jewelry and hope the items can be recovered.
You’re only as good as the last car you stole.
It sounds like people got a good look at this person.
What happened to the police reports? I miss those old detective pictures!
@Janice – Ha! We had fun with those, too. The local PDs shifted to a new method of compiling and reporting their calls in a way that negated our primary mission: of passing useful neighborhood information on to the public. So we’re no longer carrying them, we’re sorry to say!
Didn’t I read on facebook that “people complained?” Having a photography memory is a double edged sword.
#gettingfeistyisfun
Broad daylight. Nice. Anything more on that person on Miner road this afternoon?
So scary to have someone in your home. Very invasive. I hope they are able to capture him. It sounds like he does this regularly.
It looks like that car had paper plates on a too. Curious to be the new tactic to get around the License Plate Reader cameras. I’m beginning to think that the police should scrutinizing any car with paper plates, unless obviously a brand new vehicle from a dealer.
There’s no excuse for CA to allow paper plates. Other states have temporary plates. CA should do likewise. Not only would this prove helpful in these situations but it would cut down on toll evasion.
Tom – AB 516 will take care of the paper plate issue in CA. Be patient – it’s coming. In the mean time, criminals will just go back to stolen plates or no plates at all. Getting rid of paper plates might stop toll cheaters, but it won’t stop criminals. At least with paper plates we don’t have to worry about our plates being stolen. We all park outside during the day.
Greg, having negative views regarding paper vs metal plates could mean you are materially biased. *grin*
I was hoping they had caught him! These guys are slippery!!!
If you squeeze one area of the balloon … the other area will expand. Unfortunately criminals are not going away. With the new laws if criminals feel at risk driving their stolen car to Lafayette … then we could see an increase in Lafayette stolen cars so they can do their other crimes.
Now I can see where the problem with the car color came in. No classification for sunbleached blue!
Doh! Forgot to cover the plates. Why did I get so high?!
Doh! Forgot to cover the plates. Why did I get so high?!
Memory comes at you like waves at the beach or the recurrent clanking of iron doors at lockup.