HERCULES — A resident operating a personal drone located a teenager suspected of a home invasion robbery, then helped lead officers to him by tipping them that he was trying to flee the scene in an Uber, police said.
The 17-year-old suspect, who police said was from Texas, was arrested during a stop in which officers pulled out their guns. They took the teen to Juvenile Hall but did not reveal the exact charges they are seeking.
Police received the first call of the incident about 6:25 a.m. Sunday from a resident in the 100 block of Finch Court, saying that somebody had broken into that house, breaking the rear glass door to do so. The resident fled to a neighbor’s home and called police.
Police said the victim accessed his home security video, which showed a person inside the residence with a blue jacket, black sweatpants and a shirt wrapped around his face as a mask.
Hercules and Pinole police, along with Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office deputies, surrounded the home, and Richmond police sent one of their dogs. An entry team eventually went into the residence, police said. By that time, the person who had entered the residence was gone, police said.
Officers investigated, and police said they found that the suspect tried to enter the house by prying open a window, only to be unsuccessful. He then picked up a brick and threw it through the sliding glass door, police said.
The victim yelled something at the suspect, police said, then dashed out the front door to his neighbor’s home. He then called police, later telling them he was missing cash and a watch.
Police said they found cash and a watch on the right rear floorboard of the Honda, where the 17-year-old was sitting.
A person who was operating a personal drone in the 100 block of Bluebird Court notified police about 9:50 a.m. that a person was hiding in a green belt area near some rocks, police said. As officers headed to the scene, the resident told a dispatcher that the same person had entered a gray sedan that appeared to be driven by an Uber driver.
Police said officers found a gray Honda Accord with Uber insignias in the windows at the corner of Meadowlark Way and Tanager Way. They arrested the teenager there.
Hits: 0
