Alleged San Mateo County Serial Home Burglary Suspect Arrested; May Have Stolen $2 Million In Property, More Than 100 Guns
SAN MATEO (CBS SF) -- A man described as a serial residential burglary suspect, who may have broken into 57 San Francisco Peninsula homes and stolen $2 million on property, has been arrested following an investigation of more than a year by seven San Mateo County law enforcement agencies, officials announced.
Francisco Cruz-Ramirez, 20, who has lived in East Palo Alto and Modesto, is being held in the San Mateo County Jail on $5 million bail and charged with 57 counts of felony residential burglary.
Ten of the burglaries happened in neighborhoods around Belmont between December 2018 and May 2019, and police there said he might be
connected to additional incidents in the city and remains under investigation.
Investigators said the majority of burglaries had the same method of entry -- shattering sliding glass doors and then entering the home. At least five were home invasion robberies as residents were inside the homes when Cruz-Ramirez allegedly broke in.
The burglaries resulted in approximately $2 million in property being stolen including over 100 firearms.
A $5 million arrest warrant had been issued by a San Mateo Count Court judge. On April 15, a California Highway Patrol officer spotted Cruz-Ramirez's vehicle in Modesto leading to a lengthy pursuit, crash and capture. He was taken to the hospital for treatment of his injuries, but was able to flee.
He was quickly taken back into custody and returned to San Mateo County.
The arrest followed an extended investigation by Detectives from Belmont, Foster City, Burlingame, San Mateo, San Bruno, South San Francisco, officials said.