SAN FRANCISCO—The San Francisco Police Department arrested Donjuan Watson Jr., 18, and Jalin Washington, 18, for committing several auto burglaries throughout the city.
Police say that on March 14, “officers assigned to the Central Station plainclothes team were conducting an auto burglary abatement operation around Fisherman’s Wharf when, at approximately 12:30 p.m., they were in the area of Northpoint and Taylor Streets and observed a black Volkswagen that was wanted in connection with several auto burglaries.”
Officers witnessed two men “actively breaking” into two vehicles on Taylor Street, and then both men ran to a Volkswagen that appeared to be waiting on Stockton Street near North Point Street.
“As the Volkswagen was traveling on Stockton Street officers deployed spike strips in order to disable the vehicle. The driver avoided the spike strips and sped away at a high rate of speed, however, the driver lost control of the vehicle and collided into multiple parked vehicles on Stockton Street,” the SFPD stated in a news release.
After the Volkswagen crashed, the perpetrators ran away on foot, but the officers ultimately caught them and took all four perpetrators into custody “within five minutes.”
According to the SFPD, “Officers determined that the suspects broke into seven vehicles in the Fisherman’s Wharf area and at least ten vehicles in San Francisco that day.”
Authorities subsequently arrested Watson and Washington and that the other two perpetrators were both described as 16-year-old teens from South of San Francisco.
Officers responded to the scene of the collision and subsequently conducted a search of the Volkswagen and found “three firearms, all with extended magazines, several burglary tools, and several items that were reported stolen in multiple incidents including, cash, computers, electronics, cameras, backpacks, and luggage.”
The San Francisco News reached out to the police to ask for more detail about the items they found. “The firearms were all Glocks of various calibers. Officers also recovered window punches, flashlights and a screwdriver – all items commonly used to break into vehicles,” said a spokesman for the police department.
The teenagers were booked for burglary, receiving stolen property, conspiracy, possession of burglary tools, resisting arrest, carrying a concealed weapon, carrying a loaded firearm in a vehicle, armed with a firearm during the commission of a felony, minor in possession of a firearm and juvenile delinquency charges at the Juvenile Justice Center.
The authorities noted that Washington and Watson were booked into the San Francisco County Jail for burglary, conspiracy, receiving stolen property, possession of burglary tools, resisting arrest carrying a concealed weapon, and armed with a firearm during the commission of a felony.
The SFPD is still investigating the case. Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to call 1-415-575-4444 or text TIP411 and start the message with “SFPD.”
