Alleged South Bay smoke shop burglary spree ends with multiple arrests

SAN JOSE — Police rolled up multiple suspects involved in a spree to burglarize smoke shops throughout San Jose and and Santa Clara, according to a news release Thursday.

San Jose police said more than 10 burglaries at smoke shops were investigated between March and April of this year, leading to the identification of a key suspect believed to be involved in at least eight of the incidents. The 25-year-old man was arrested on June 16 in San Jose after detectives obtained arrest and search warrants.

After the arrest, several more burglaries matching the pattern reoccurred at South Bay smoke shops through July, police said. The series of crimes had its most recent event on the early morning of July 24, when police were alerted to an attempted burglary at the 4700 block of Almaden Expressway; however, the suspects fled before officers arrived.

Later that day, the same suspects attempted to burglarize a smoke shop in Santa Clara, where they encountered deputies with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office. The suspects fled the scene but were apprehended by the deputies after they crashed their vehicle, police said. The three suspects, all minors, were arrested and booked into Santa Clara County Juvenile hall.

Police said the series of burglaries were characterized by a pattern of the suspects using stolen Kia and Hyundai vehicles to ram into smoke-shop storefronts, smashing the exterior to make it easier to go inside, steal merchandise and drive away in the vehicle.

Kia and Hyundai vehicles have made waves over the past year after social media trends exposed a simplified way to steal certain models with turn-key ignitions. The automakers issued software updates in February to combat rising car thefts.

San Jose police posted a YouTube compilation of the alleged thieves bashing through the front entryways of various smoke shops in order to gain access to the merchandise.