SAN JOSE — Two men and four boys who hail from throughout the Bay Area have been arrested in connection with a string of carjackings, robberies and other crimes in San Jose dating back to November, according to the San Jose Police Department.
The suspects, consisting of two 19-year-old men from Tracy and Oakland, three 17-year-old boys from Hayward, Oakland and San Jose, and a 16-year-old boy from Oakland, were arrested incrementally over the past three months, with the final arrest occurring March 18, police said in a news release.
The first crime linked to the group was reported Nov. 19 around 5 a.m. after a San Jose man woke up and discovered three people breaking into his car, police said. When the man called out to them, someone in the group threatened him with a handgun, and they fled in the stolen vehicle.
Police said an ensuing investigation tied the group’s descriptions and patterns to “a crime spree spanning over a few months,” involving other armed carjackings, armed robberies, car thefts and burglaries, and participation in sideshows. Several vehicles stolen during that period were later located in Oakland, Hayward and San Francisco, police said.
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The 19-year-old suspect from Oakland was arrested in Morgan Hill on Dec. 5, and on Feb. 4, the 19-year-old suspect from Tracy was arrested in San Jose, police said.
On Feb. 25, one of the underage suspects was arrested in Hayward, and two other underage suspects were arrested March 18 in Oakland, police said. A sixth minor suspect was already in juvenile hall custody in Alameda County when he was linked to the alleged crimes. At least one gun was seized when police served related search warrants, according to police.
In addition to an array of San Jose detectives and analysts from across SJPD, the investigation and arrests also involved police departments from Morgan Hill, Berkeley, and Hayward, Santa Clara County probation, and the county regional auto theft task force.
Anyone with information for investigators can contact Detective Perez in the SJPD robbery unit at 408-277-4166 or by email at [email protected]. Tips can also be left with Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408-947-7867 or at siliconvalleycrimestoppers.org.