10 alleged members of burglary ring held
Sixty home burglaries over a three-month period in San Francisco were linked to a serial crime ring in which $3 million worth of firearms, jewelry, currency and other items were stolen, authorities said Monday.
Ten suspects of a serial burglary crew — residents of San Francisco, Oakland, Antioch and Marin City — were arrested in the past 90 days for terrorizing residents in San Francisco’s Bayview, Ingleside and Taraval police districts, said Commander Greg McEachern, of the San Francisco Police Department’s Investigations Bureau.
Four other arrests are imminent, he announced in a press conference at department headquarters, while at least 16 suspects remain outstanding after a joint investigation with local, regional, out-of-state and federal agencies.
The nine men and one wom-
an taken into custody allegedly stole 11 firearms, hundreds of jewelry pieces, U.S. and foreign currency, credit cards, passports, vehicle titles and vehicle keys.
Since their arrests, nine of the stolen firearms have been recovered, as well as jewelry, passports, currency and eight vehicles used in the burglaries. In a search warrant issued last week in Brentwood, four more firearms were recovered, including two that were stolen in separate burglaries in Fremont and Reno, McEachern said.
“During the commission of the burglaries, the crews used multiple vehicles with paper license plates and attempted to disguise their identities,” he said. “Entries to the residences during the burglaries were made by the suspects forcing their way through locked gates and breaking front and rear doors of residences.”
The burglaries often occurred during the day when people are often at work, but some of the homes were occupied. One suspect, Kelvon Watts, faces charges for inflicting great bodily injury after robbing one resident of the belongings he had on him, McEachern said.
No other serious injuries occurred during the robberies.
Members of the Asian community, in particular, have been victimized by the crimes, according to police.
“The information suggests that when you look at who’s reporting the crimes, (Asians) do seem to be subjected to that type of crime,” said Capt. Steven Ford of the Bayview District.
“They do seem to keep a lot of cash and valuables on hand and in their homes and residences, and I don’t think that’s a secret,” he added.
Ford, as well as captains from the other districts impacted by home invasions, have reached out to the community to encourage them to get surveillance footage and to safeguard their valuables.
In total, police reported 351 home burglaries in the Bayview, Ingleside and Taraval police districts during the first three months of the year. Members of the alleged crime ring accounted for 17 percent of those home thefts, authorities said.
“With these arrests, there has been a marked decrease in burglaries in the Bayview, Ingleside and Taraval districts,” Police Chief Bill Scott said.
Surveillance footage from one residence showed three suspects fleeing a home in the Ingleside neighborhood just as the owner returned — they sneaked onto outside stairs before jumping down and fleeing in a silver SUV while the owner entered through the garage.
“It just gives you an idea and a picture as to how dangerous these can be,” McEachern said.
One of the suspects in that video was arrested and the getaway vehicle was towed.
A number of surveillance videos from the home burglaries illustrate the serial burglary crew’s sophistication, said Capt. Robert Yick, of the Taraval Station.
“They already know the layout of the homes,” he said.
Additionally, merchants were targeted in commercial burglaries, which generally occur after hours, Ford said.
San Francisco’s Burglary Unit, which was created in November and comprises 10 investigators from local police stations, has helped reduce the city’s Part One crimes — robbery, burglary, motor vehicle theft — by about 20 percent during January and February of this year, McEachern said.
In addition to beefing up foot patrols in targeted neighborhoods, officers are reportedly being briefed by investigators on particular getaway vehicles. In turn, patrol officers are also providing investigators with intelligence.
“We believe that the strategy is bearing result,” McEachern said. “These arrests are an example.”