Suspects Arrested for Auto Burglaries

A man and a woman driving a stolen sedan were arrested at gunpoint on Saturday afternoon, January 25, after a string of auto burglaries in Goleta at the Calle Real Shopping Center and in Montecito on Coast Village Circle.

At about 3:30 pm, a deputy on patrol in Carpinteria observed a suspect vehicle that had been connected to several reported vehicle break-ins. The deputy tried to get close enough to make a traffic stop on the black sedan, which was reported stolen from San Jose, but was unable to do so. A short time later, the sedan collided with another vehicle on southbound Highway 101 near the Santa Ynez Avenue overpass, and the two occupants of the suspect vehicle fled on foot. The woman was quickly taken into custody nearby, while the man ran down Carpinteria Avenue, hiding in an unlocked vehicle. The male suspect was taken into custody a short time later with the aid of a K-9 unit and a county helicopter.

The suspects were connected to several auto burglaries in Goleta, as well as at least one other on Coast Village Road; a witness reported seeing the sedan circling the parking lots on Coast Village Circle on Saturday afternoon.