Flirtatious San Mateo Burglary Suspect Arrested In Date Sting
SAN MATEO (CBS SF) -- A man was arrested for burglarizing a San Mateo restaurant after a worker recognized him from a previous flirtatious exchange and helped police in a sting operation.
Employees of Curry Up Now in San Mateo interrupted a burglary about 1:30 a.m. Saturday morning, finding a man stacking property by the rear door, police said.
The man fled before police arrived, but one of the employees, 22-year-old Ashley Cullen, recognized him as the same man who had flirted with her during business hours, giving her his name and number.
"He walked right past us, all nonchalant, and he was, like, 'what's up' and just walked past and I recognized him." said Cullen.
She gave police his number, which they used while impersonating the woman to invite him out on a 'date." He arrived at a spot near Burlingame Avenue and California Drive where police greeted him with handcuffs.
Police identified the suspect as 31-year-old Keveen Quintanilla of Burlingame.
"That's our safety tip of the week," said San Mateo Police Sgt. Dave Norris. "If you're going to flirt, don't burgle. If you're going to burgle, don't flirt."
"I'm glad we could catch him," said Cullen.
Quintanilla was arrested on charges of commercial burglary, possession of stolen property, and drug charges.
Cullen said she was never planning to call Quintanilla, even before he was arrested.
