Full Notification

SMPD COMMUNITY AND MEDIA MESSAGE

Three Auto Burglary Suspects Safely in Custody After Pursuit Thanks to The Watchful Eye of Our San Mateo Community

On October 22^nd, 2015 at about 1:50 PM, SMPD received a report from an alert witness who had just heard the sound of glass shattering and then saw what they believed to be a black male fleeing the area of the parking lot of Whole Foods in San Mateo with two additional subjects inside a blue Hyundai.  Responding SMPD units realized the description of the subjects and vehicle was similar to a county wide alert issued by the Burlingame Police Department about 40 minutes earlier regarding a group of subjects suspected of committing an earlier auto burglary in the City of Burlingame.

Responding SMPD Units arrived in the area and began systematically searching the location and surrounding routes of travel. An unmarked SMPD unit located the vehicle just minutes later driving through the Marina Shopping Center parking lot, a known hot spot for the rash of recent auto burglaries that have plagued not only our city by San Mateo County as a whole. Additional units responded as the suspect vehicle began to leave the shopping center.  A marked SMPD unit attempted to make a lawful traffic stop on the Hyundai and the driver failed to yield, fleeing northbound on US HWY 101 at a high rate of speed.  SMPD initiated a pursuit and received assistance from allied agencies including CHP as the suspect vehicle continued to flee northbound on the freeway.  The suspect vehicle eventually exited at Cesar Chavez in San Francisco and became partially disabled by a flat tire, eventually rolling to a stop against a light pole at Vermont Street and 23^rd Street.  There was no damage to the car and no injuries in the subsequent collision.  With SMPD, CHP, and Daly City PD units on scene, the three occupants were taken quickly and safely into custody without further incident.

The San Mateo Police Department is thankful to report that no one was injured during this incident and we wish to specifically thank the alert community member who was quick to report via 911 what had occurred at Whole Foods in San Mateo.  At the conclusion of the pursuit and subsequent arrests, SMPD recovered stolen personal property from multiple auto burglaries committed by these suspects in a single day, including 2 in Burlingame, 2 in South San Francisco, and 3 in San Mateo, one of which occurring in the Marina Shopping Center just moments before they were located by SMPD.  Additional investigation in cooperation with Redwood City PD also indicates that this crew is responsible for no less than 50 auto burglaries throughout San Mateo County which speaks volumes for how much damage and monetary loss burglary crews like this one can cause in such a short time in our neighborhoods. The successful arrests and subsequent investigation in this case would not be possible without the proactive police work shown yesterday by every law enforcement agency involved and it all began with a member of our community who chose to take a stand and make a difference by calling 911.

ARRESTED

Laresha Brown, Age 27, resident of Oakland

Shawanda Black, Age 20, resident of Oakland

16 year old female juvenile

WHEN CALLING 911

911 remains the most vital means of reporting an emergency, as it was in this case.  With that, your SMPD Dispatchers would like to offer a few tips that would make their job easier and allow them to get police and emergency personnel to you as fast as possible:

·        STAY CALM. We know that an emergency can be traumatic and frightening, but if we can’t understand you, it delays our response. Just take a deep breath and speak as clearly as possible. We’ll help you get through it.

·        WHERE ARE YOU??  If you call from a cell phone, remember we only get your general location. We’ll need you to pinpoint precisely where you are so that we can respond accordingly.

·        WHAT HAPPENED?  The first responders will be available to take your full statement. In the meantime, summarize for us what happened so we can direct emergency personnel on how to respond to your incident.

·        WHO DID IT?  Do your best to describe the suspect(s):  Age, sex, build, how they looked, how they were dressed, even how they sounded.  If it’s easier for you, tell us who they looked like, such as, “He looks like Brad Pitt.” Remember, “He looks like my brother Tom,” doesn’t help us…unless it actually WAS your brother Tom.

·        WHERE DID THEY GO? If the suspect fled, which way did they go and by what means?  Give us landmark if you can. Don’t worry about North, South, East, West.  “He ran towards 2^nd Avenue,” works perfectly for police responders.