SAUSALITO — A hit on an automated license plate reader led to the arrest of a visiting car thief. Cameras monitoring vehicles entering Sausalito have resulted in more than 40 such arrests, since being installed three years ago.
The most recent alert flashed at police headquarters on August 17 at precisely 11:39 p.m. An automated camera spotted a stolen 2019 Toyota Camry traveling along Spencer Avenue. The owner reported it was stolen only a few hours earlier in Daly City.
Officers were immediately dispatched to intercept the hot car. It was located near the east Spencer Park & Ride parking lot, adjacent to Highway 101.
There were several persons standing outside of the car when an officer drove up to it. Altogether, five individuals were detained without incident while being questioned by the officer.
Upon completing his investigation, the officer determined the driver was 20-year- old Darwin Trochez-Gomez, a resident of San Francisco.
Trochez-Gomez was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle, and he was booked at Marin County Jail.
The four other persons accompanying Trochez-Gomez were subsequently released at the scene to find their own way home.
The car was searched before being returned to its owner. Inside, officers found a toy gun that shoots plastic pellets, which was confiscated for destruction.
