State vehicle fleet hit by thefts of 18 cars in Sacramento garage

In a caper that so far is unexplained, 18 state cars were stolen from a downtown garage over the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Multiple break-ins at the State Garage in Sacramento resulted in the vehicles being stolen. So far, Sacramento police have recovered 13 of them at various locations and Sacramento County Sheriff’s deputies found three of the cars in south Sacramento County.

Sacramento police officers aided by license plate-reading cameras have arrested teen drivers and recovered cars, some of them after crashes. Exactly how the cars were driven out of what is supposed to be a secure garage is not being released due to an ongoing investigation, according to Monica Hassan, Department of General Services spokeswoman.

“This is an ongoing investigation, so no details will be released at this time,” Hassan said in an e-mail. “Since the incident, the Department of General Services has conducted a security assessment and review of the garage, and has made adjustments to security policies and procedures, including looking into installing an electronic entry and exit system.”

Meanwhile, police officers and sheriff ’s deputies have been busy recovering the cars for the state. Police spokesman Sgt. Bryce Heinlein said that the thefts of 18 cars from the parking lot at 1416 10th St. occurred on state property, so the break-in investigation is being conducted by the California Highway Patrol.

The first car recovery occurred in the Southside Park neighborhood Memorial Day evening when an officer pulled over the car for a possible traffic violation. As the officer approached on foot, the driver sped away before crashing into a parked vehicle.

The suspected car thief, a teenager, was found hiding under a porch and was taken into custody on suspicion of auto theft.

Later in the evening, another of the stolen cars was found unoccupied in Southside Park. Then, about 3:30 a.m. the day after Memorial Day, another officer in the area of 44th Street and Broadway spotted a car being driven with no lights on.

The officer made a quick Uturn and went after the car, which eventually crashed into a house.

As the officer pulled up, he saw two people run from the car. The two fleeing suspects, both 15 years old, were arrested on suspicion of auto theft.

The recovered cars to that point had not yet been reported stolen, Heinlein said. Officers contacted the CHP and the discovery was made that 18 cars were taken from the garage.