Alert: International Theft Ring Targeting Asian Business Owners in Bay Area – What You Need to Know to Protect Yourself

In Santa Rosa, police have arrested a group of Colombian nationals for crimes targeting Asian business owners across several Bay Area cities. They’ve been linked to burglaries in Santa Rosa, San Rafael, Union City, and Vallejo.

According to investigators, these suspects used advanced technology to surveil their targets. They set up trail cameras disguised among the grass and leaves to watch Asian business owners before breaking into their homes. Some members of this group were apprehended last month and remain in custody.

“We haven’t been able to positively identify all five suspects yet,” said Sgt. Patricia Seffens. “They were found with numerous fake IDs, including Mexican passports, even though we believe they are originally from Colombia.”

Police shared images of the suspects wearing work uniforms and recovered a FedEx shirt thought to be used as a disguise.

Interestingly, it seems the group focused not on the businesses themselves, but rather on the homes of the Asian owners. “They identify Asian business owners and then burglarize their residences,” Sgt. Seffens explained.

Santa Rosa Mayor Mark Stapp pointed out that the suspects were equipped with tools like night vision goggles and several cellphones, but he emphasized that the city also has its own technology. “We set up a real-time crime center a few years ago, which has automated license plate readers. This helped us quickly identify the suspects and their locations,” he stated.

Over the past 14 months, the crime center has pinpointed 11 victims of Asian descent in Santa Rosa. The property crimes team is currently investigating whether this same group is responsible for all these burglaries.

As for the future of the suspects, there is uncertainty about whether they will face jail time or deportation. Mayor Stapp hopes these arrests warn other potential criminals. We want this to deter thieves from targeting Santa Rosa, especially since our Asian community is growing and we have many small business owners,” he said.

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