San Jose police have cracked a case they believe is part of a “disturbing trend” of residential burglaries that escalate into potentially violent, armed home invasion robberies.
In an incident on Woodbury Court, the homeowner interrupted the crime and was ordered at gunpoint to open a safe.
An AR-15 assault rifle and Sig Sauer pistol were stolen from the home.
” Burglars are coming to the home armed,” San Jose Police Lieutenant Paul Joseph said.” If they encounter the homeowner, they shift gears and go into robbery mode and confront the victim and order them to hand over their property.”
A getaway car and distinctive t-shirt that were captured on surveillance video led police to a home on Kammerer Avenue in San Jose’s Mayfair District. Officers arrested 19-year-old Oscar Vasquez and a 17-year-old juvenile suspect, who was not identified.
Joseph said, “we are definitely seeing a trend of juvenile suspects involved in very serious
crimes like robberies, burglaries and car-jackings.”
The cases are not directly related, but in May police arrested 16 suspects in connection with a wide-ranging crime spree.
Authorities said of 11 of those arrests were juveniles involved in 7 robberies, 6 carjackings and 10 burglaries.
Another disturbing fact is that many of those crimes involved the use of stolen guns.