RIO LINDA, CA – A string of overnight burglaries in Rio Linda has concluded with the arrest of a suspect by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department (SSD). The incidents, which occurred early in the morning, affected at least six local businesses.
According to the SSD, the series of events began at 12:53 a.m. when an alarm was triggered at Sterling Water Supply. Upon arrival, a sheriff’s unit found that the back door had been breached and a computer desk was rummaged through. CHP Air 21, assisting from the air, reported a person leaving the scene in a vehicle just as ground units were arriving at 1:03 a.m.
Approximately ten minutes later, a sheriff’s deputy discovered that the drive-thru window at the nearby Starbucks had been smashed, and the cash registers inside had been tampered with.
The trail continued as a silent alarm was triggered at The Grotto at 1:44 a.m. This led to a large-scale response, with eight patrol cars converging on the area. At 1:54 a.m., officers reported a suspect at gunpoint inside Rio Java. The suspect, however, broke through a glass door and attempted to flee on foot before being tackled to the ground and taken into custody.
The suspect is described as a White Male Adult, seen on surveillance footage from Meg’s Creamery wearing a black True Religion hoodie, blue jeans, and a white backpack. Sheriff’s officers identified him as a known suspect, local to the Rio Linda area.
A representative from the Rio Linda Elverta Chamber of Commerce stated that the burglar had hit Sterling’s, Starbucks, Taqueria Mi Lindo Apatzingan, and Meg’s Creamery, as well as The Grotto, before the final confrontation at Rio Java. The suspect reportedly used a hammer to gain entry to the various businesses. It is believed he returned to Rio Java after his initial attempts to break in were unsuccessful, only to succeed after smashing a door at The Grotto.
It should also be noted that Sean Ohri at Subway reported that his business was broken into just two days ago.
It remains unknown what items the thief may have acquired or what was in his backpack. Local business owners are hopeful that the value of the stolen property will be enough to ensure the suspect is kept in custody.
This is at least the third time in the last year that businesses in the Mar Val Plaza have been the target of break-ins. Anthony Silva, owner of Rio Java, was noted as saying that this is the exact reason the Rio Java moved from the Rio Linda Plaza location.
