Palo Alto Burglary Suspect Who Left Driver License Behind Arrested 30 Minutes Later
PALO ALTO (CBS SF) -- Police arrested a burglary suspect Monday morning after she accidentally dropped her driver license while struggling with the homeowner to get away.
The burglary was first reported at 10:35 a.m. by a resident in the 1000 block of Moffett Circle. A woman told police she had just returned home when she saw a woman running out of her home carrying a backpack full of the her belongings.
As the homeowner tried to stop the suspect, a fight broke out. "I pinned her down, I pushed her this way to the ground ... and then I told her, I said, 'You're not gettng away'" said the unidentified victim.
During the struggle, the suspect dropped her own driver's license before running off the property and driving away.
The victim called the police immediately and provided officers with the getaway vehicle's license plate and the suspect's driver's license number.
About 20 minutes later, police located the suspect's car parked at a home in East Palo Alto. She was arrested several minutes later.
"Unfortunately for her she wasn't very good at what she did," said Palo Alto Police Sergeant Brian Philip.
The homeowner suffered minor scrapes to one of her arms from the fight, but did not require medical treatment. She was able to recover all of her property.
Police booked 20-year-old Giovanna Vargas Hernandez into the Santa Clara County Main Jail for two felonies, residential burglary and robbery.
Detectives are investigating if she may be connected with any other residential burglaries, either in Palo Alto or surrounding communities.
