(KRON) — A 22-year-old East Palo Alto man is accused of breaking into a staggering number of San Francisco Bay Area homes and stealing $2 million worth of victims’ property.
Francisco Antonio Cruz Ramirez appeared in a San Mateo County courtroom on Wednesday. He is charged with burglarizing 12 homes in South San Francisco, 12 in Belmont, three in Hillsborough, five in Foster City, seven in Burlingame, two in San Bruno, three in San Mateo, and 13 in unincorporated areas of the county.
His older brother, 25-year-old Raul Ramirez Cruz, burglarized 13 houses, prosecutors said. The brothers’ alleged burglary spree happened between September of 2018 and May of 2019, according to the DA’s office.
“The primary modus operandi (MO) was to make entry by shattering sliding glass doors and stealing from residences,” prosecutors wrote.
Residents were inside five of the targeted houses when the home invaders broke in, the DA’s office said. In total, property valued at $2 million, including more than 100 firearms, was stolen.
Law enforcement agencies from around San Mateo County teamed up for a year-long investigation into the brothers. On April 15, 2020, a California Highway Patrol officer in Modesto attempted to pull Ramirez’s car over for a traffic violation. This triggered a lengthy pursuit that ended when Ramirez crashed his car.
Ramirez suffered injuries in the crash and was transported to a hospital for treatment. “Ramirez fled the hospital, but was located and taken to jail,” the DA’s Office wrote.
Ramirez was eventually extradited back to San Mateo County to face charges. He was also linked to numerous other home burglaries in other counties, according to investigators.
On Wednesday, Ramirez waived his right to a speedy trial. Judge Sean Dabel ordered him to return to the courtroom on February 21 to set a date for his jury trial. He remains in custody in lieu of $2.85 million bail.
Ramirez’s brother pleaded no contest last year and was sentenced to serve two years in prison.
(KRON) — A 22-year-old East Palo Alto man is accused of breaking into a staggering number of San Francisco Bay Area homes and stealing $2 million worth of victims’ property. Francisco Antonio Cruz Ramirez appeared in a San Mateo County courtroom on Wednesday. He is charged with burglarizing 12 homes in South San Francisco, 12 […]
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