On April 2, 2013 at approximately 12:32 p.m., a home owner on the 3800 block of Chardonnay Rd. in Santa Cruz returned home and found a male suspect exiting his house with a gym bag. The suspect pointed a handgun at the victim, dropped the gym bag and escaped in a silver Lexus. The victim threw a glass bottle at the Lexus, smashing the front window. The suspect drove away, but the victim was able to take a photo of the suspect’s car. The Lexus was determined to be stolen and had a stolen license plate on the back of the car. The victim called 911 to report the robbery.
Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office surrounded the area with the help of the California Highway Patrol. While the perimeter was in place, the suspect was able elude capture by stealing a 1997 light blue Ford Explorer CA plate #3TIC192 from a house on Hall Ranch Road. 40 minutes after the initial report, the Sheriff’s Office received a call from the victim of the stolen Ford Explorer and found the abandoned silver Lexus.
The suspect was described at a white male adult, 5’09”, with a small beard, wearing shorts, a black hooded sweat shirt and a black beanie cap.
Sheriff’s Office Investigators were able to connect the robbery/burglary crime spree on April 2, 2013 to a string of auto burglaries that occurred in Ben Lomond between March 31, 2013 and April 1, 2013. During one of the auto burglaries, a video was captured of a suspect burglarizing two cars. The video was placed on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pqu0KbOLjx4 in hopes of catching the suspect.
If you have information regarding the suspect’s identity or additional information as it relates to any of the burglaries or robbery, contact the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office at 831-454-2311 or Sheriff’s dispatch at 831-471-1121.