Photo: Darius Hill
SAN LEANDRO — A suspected serial burglary suspect is in a heap of trouble. Authorities picked him up last Wednesday, hiding inside a closet at an Oakland residence, after searching several weeks for him.
The suspect evaded police several times before his arrest. On September 6, San Leandro officers responded to a burglary in progress on Woodland Avenue. The suspect fled from the house through a yard of an adjacent property on Oaks Boulevard.
In his effort to escape, the suspect broke into a garage at a home located on Oaks Boulevard. Before officers searching the property checked the garage, he fled on a bicycle.
Officers pursued him until he ditched the bicycle on Dowling Boulevard, and ran into another backyard. While officers were searching for him, the suspect ran to a vehicle that pulled up nearby.
Officers followed that vehicle, until the suspect jumped out and got away again. Officers searched without success, until the suspect turned up again four weeks later.
By now, investigators identified the suspect as 25-year-old Darius Hill. On October 3, police responding to another burglary located Hill hiding inside someone else’s home.
The resident reported a burglar trying to break in. Officers subsequently located Hill hiding inside a closet, and finally arrested him. Later, detectives searched Hill’s Oakland residence, and they recovered five handguns, and numerous rounds of ammunition.
Hill remains in custody at Santa Rita Jail in lieu of $360,000 bond. His charges include burglary, false imprisonment by violence, and weapons charges. His plea hearing is October 10.
