Stolen Car Found Filled with Catalytic Converters – Suspects Arrested
by Jim Emerson
BERKELEY, CA — Two men have been arrested for allegedly stealing a car found filled with stolen catalytic converters. Altogether, Berkeley PD pursued three suspects to the Oakland side of the Berkland neighborhood, which straddles Berkeley and Oakland. Two were taken into custody on December 15 at 4 a.m., but the third suspect remains at large.
Anthony Linarez-Varrios, 21, of San Francisco, and Juan C. Fuentes, 19, of Stockton, were booked at the Berkeley City Jail. They were subsequently transported to Alameda County Santa Rita Jail. A judge set bond for their release from custody at $255,000 for Linarez-Varrios, and $300,000 for Fuentes.
Linarez-Varrios and Fuentes were each booked on suspicion of the following charges –
* Vehicle theft
* Possession of a stolen vehicle
* Receiving a known stolen vehicle
* Grand theft
* Possession of burglary tools
Incidentally, Linarez-Varrios also faces additional charges for battery and driving without a license. His companion Fuentes was arrested five times in 2023. Fuentes was arrested once for a carjacking involving a firearm and four times for vehicle thefts.
Linarez-Varrios and Fuentes (alias Juan Anzora) were apprehended because a resident reported suspicious activity. Responding officers spoke with witnesses, and found a car nearby missing its catalytic converter.Police later saw the suspects driving along Martin Luther King Jr. Way. Officers pursued the stolen vehicle, which crashed near the intersection of 60th Street in Oakland. Three suspects fled from the crash scene, and two of them were apprehended nearby. The third suspect is still being sought.
