A group of teenage burglary suspects accused of hitting nearly 80 homes and vehicles across the Bay Area has been arrested after police say they pieced together a months-long crime spree involving stolen guns, dangerous pursuits and an alleged fencing network tied to about $250,000 in suspected stolen goods.
Concord police also made public surveillance footage from the burglary investigation, releasing a video compilation titled “Teamwork Leads to Arrests in Regional Armed Burglary Series.”
The footage shows suspects breaking into parked cars during the early-morning hours, then allegedly using garage door openers taken from those vehicles to enter attached garages. Investigators said the teens stole power tools, firearms and other valuables once inside.
Surveillance video released by Concord police shows an armed burglary suspect pointing a firearm toward a home’s interior door during the investigation. (Concord Police Department)
One particularly alarming clip, according to investigators, shows a suspect aiming a gun toward the interior door between a garage and a residence, apparently anticipating that someone inside the home might come out. In another break-in, police said the crew stole 14 firearms from a single residential garage.
When the investigation concluded, detectives had connected the suspects to 37 residential and vehicle burglaries in Concord, along with roughly 40 additional cases in Contra Costa and Solano counties. Authorities said the group also stole several vehicles and then used them to carry out more crimes.
Police said the suspects managed to evade officers more than once as the string of Bay Area burglaries continued.
In May, an officer saw what appeared to be a suspect vehicle and tried to initiate a traffic stop, but the driver allegedly took off at high speed. Officers began a pursuit but later ended it because of public safety concerns.
Two burglary suspects break into a parked pickup truck before allegedly using a stolen garage door opener to access nearby homes in California. (Concord Police Department)
During another string of burglaries in June, officers located a different suspect vehicle, but the suspects again escaped.
Later that month, the juveniles allegedly fled another burglary, crashed a vehicle and ran from the scene on foot. They evaded capture once again, though officers recovered a firearm.
The break in the case came in late June, when Concord detectives working with the Richmond Police Department identified four juveniles believed to be behind the burglary spree.
One suspect was already being held in juvenile hall in connection with an unrelated case. Investigators then obtained arrest and search warrants for the remaining three.
Police said the suspects targeted parked vehicles before using stolen garage door openers to enter residential garages. (Concord Police Department)
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In July, the Concord Police Department SWAT Team executed simultaneous warrants with assistance from the Antioch Police Department, Pittsburg Police Department, Central County SWAT and the U.S. Marshals Service.
All three outstanding suspects were arrested.
Searches of their residences led to the recovery of two firearms stolen during the burglaries, police said. A third stolen firearm had previously been recovered by the Richmond Police Department during a separate investigation.
As detectives dug deeper, they uncovered what prosecutors describe as an organized fencing operation.
Surveillance video released by Concord police shows a masked burglary suspect during a string of home and vehicle break-ins across the Bay Area. (Concord Police Department)
Investigators identified 37-year-old Wuillian Cordova-Cubias of Oakland as the alleged buyer of stolen property, accusing him of purchasing power tools from the juvenile suspects, often shortly after the burglaries occurred.
On Aug. 5, detectives with the Concord Police Department, Oakland Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service executed a search warrant at Cordova-Cubias’ Oakland home.
Police said the search uncovered what investigators believe was the hub of a regional fencing operation. Inside, detectives found at least 500 suspected stolen power tools, along with a stolen ATV, a stolen forklift, an unregistered firearm and numerous other high-value items. Authorities estimated the recovered property was worth approximately $250,000.
The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office charged Cordova-Cubias with receiving stolen property, two counts of receiving stolen motor vehicles, unlawful firearm activity and conspiracy with juvenile co-conspirators. Prosecutors also filed sentencing enhancements that could increase any potential penalties if he is convicted.
Exterior of the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office in Martinez, California, where charges were filed in the burglary investigation. (Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office)
“As organized theft offenses have increased, my office has responded by building an effective Organized Theft Unit that works closely with law enforcement to file strong cases we believe we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt in court,” Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton said in a statement. “Concord Police Department’s thorough investigation into these burglaries and the fencing operation reflects the kind of collaboration that holds individuals accountable.”
Cordova-Cubias remains in custody at the Martinez Detention Facility and is scheduled to be arraigned Monday afternoon in Contra Costa County Superior Court.
The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office also filed complaints against the three juvenile suspects. Their identities have not been released under California law.
