Men found with burglar tools gave cops novel excuse: They were there to gamble illegally

>> Police here got more than they bargained for when three men who were found standing next to various burglary tools outside of a building admitted they were there to play illegal computer slot machines, according to recently filed court records.

The January traffic stop resulted in police arresting the men — and opening a probe into the alleged underground gambling den — after searching their car and finding a gun, shaved keys and a small amount of meth, authorities said. Records

related to the arrest were recently made public when one of the three suspects was charged with a federal offense, violating the terms of his supervised release from a prior conviction.

According to a Brisbane police report, an officer there responded to a call for service at the 2500 block of Bayshore Boulevard in San Francisco. The three men were standing outside of a building, next to a bag containing bolt cutters, a hammer and a crowbar. One of the men “advised the officer that they did not work at the establishment, however, they were there to gamble at an underground gambling facility,” police said.

Another man told the officer they were there to “play machines” and that he’d been there several times previously.

When pressed, the men admitted they were really there to burglarize “three machines” from the suspected gambling den, according to the officer’s report. All three were arrested and booked into county jail.

Police did not say how far the investigation into the alleged gambling den has progressed since.