San Francisco – In the early morning hours of April 16th, officers responded to the area of 19th and San Bruno where two suspects were said to be breaking into a parked vehicle.
According to the information released by the department, officers arrived in the area and found the burglarized vehicle. Then, in the area of 20th and Vermont Streets near McKinley Square and the Potrero Hill Community Garden, officers located two suspects matching the suspects’ description. They were just a block from the scene of the burglary. Upon seeing officers approach, the two men began to toss items from their possession. Officers detained the suspects while the discarded items, an owner’s manual and registration for the burglarized car, were recovered.
A records check revealed that both suspects were on active probation. 29-year-old Gabriel Silva of San Francisco and 32-year-old Jorge Ponce, listed as a transient according to police, were also in possession of various tools police recognize as those used to commit burglary. They were booked on auto burglary, possession of burglary tools, conspiracy and probation violations. Silva was also charged with possession of metal knuckles, an illegal weapon.
According to available records, Silva had been arrested just three weeks prior, on March 27, for stealing a vehicle, possession of burglar’s tools, and driving with a suspended license. And just another month prior, on February 28, he was arrested for another vehicle theft, and charged with conspiracy, using a master key, and hit-and-run with property damage. Ponce was arrested on April 6 for burglary, possession of burglar’s tools, using a stolen ATM card and personal identification, and possession of marijuana.
