Two suspects arrested, one sought in Peninsula crime spree

SAN MATEO >> San Mateo County authorities have arrested two suspects and are seeking a third in connection with a string of robberies and burglaries over the weekend.

The first robbery was reported about 7:45 p.m. Saturday on Laurel Avenue near Central Park in San Mateo, the San Mateo Police Department said in a news release. The victim said one of the suspects jumped out of a vehicle and snatched her purse.

Roughly an hour later, the victim reported her credit cards had been used in San Carlos, Belmont and Hayward, police said.

Officers obtained security camera footage of the suspects and their vehicle, a gold minivan, at each of the locations where the stolen credit cards were used, police said.

About 7:20 a.m. Sunday, a second robbery and a vehicle burglary were reported in South San Francisco. Police said the license plate of the suspect vehicle matched that of the vehicle used in the first robbery.

A vehicle theft was reported roughly an hour later on Ridgecrest Terrace in San Mateo. The suspects, police said, used a key inside the first robbery victim’s purse to steal her daughter’s Honda. A private security camera system captured the suspect vehicle, confirmed to be a gold Mazda minivan, and the stolen vehicle leaving the area.

Just before 9:15 a.m., another vehicle burglary involving a gold Mazda minivan was reported in the county. A third robbery involving the same vehicle was reported about 9:35 a.m. in Millbrae.

A sheriff’s office community service officer spotted the vehicle in San Mateo about 9:45 a.m. but lost sight of it near South Delaware Street and 16th Avenue. However, a San Mateo officer crossed paths with the vehicle and tried to stop it with the help of other officers.

The vehicle instead drove to a home on the 300 block of North Idaho Street, where officers took its two occupants into custody. Officers also spotted multiple purses and window-punch tools inside the vehicle, police said.

Search warrants were served at the home and a home next door. Officers found the first robbery victim’s purse, other possibly stolen property, clothing worn by the suspects during the alleged crimes, a Honda car key, a pistol with a shaved-off serial number and a short-barreled AR-15 pistol with an extended magazine, police said.

Police said the first robbery victim identified one of the suspects as the person who had robbed her. She also identified the gold Mazda minivan as the vehicle used in the robbery.