Bobby Donald Burke, Joseph Daniel Sandoval (son) and James Edward Sandoval (father)
PALO ALTO- – The Palo Alto Police Department recently announced the arrest of two burglary suspects and are asking for the public’s help in locating a third suspect.
According to Palo Alto Police, they believe they have solved a 2015 case in which four people were found to have driven a stolen SUV through the front glass doors of Bloomingdale’s during the night, stealing large amounts of jewelry and other valuable items.
According to police, “on Wednesday, May 13, 2015, at about 4:14 a.m., our 24-hour dispatch center was notified of a burglary that had occurred just after 4:00 a.m. at Bloomingdale’s at Stanford Shopping Center at 180 El Camino Real.”
Once officers arrived they were able to see in surveillance footage several suspects who had driven the stolen SUV through the front glass doors in order to steal several jewelry items from multiple display cases.
Palo Alto Police canvassed the area but were unable to locate the suspects. The next day, police located the unoccupied stolen SUV near the 200 block of Palo Alto Avenue.
It was suspected that the thieves were able to take an estimated $125,000 in jewelry. Damages were also estimated at around $55,000.
During the investigation into the smash and grab, forensic evidence was gathered from inside of the stolen SUV that was able to identify one of the suspects as Bobby Donald Burke, a 34-year-old man from Antioch who was currently arrested on unrelated charges and was being held in the Contra Costa main jail.
A search warrant for his residence was issued on July 15, 2015. A search of his home revealed that Burke was in possession of a watch that was identified as being stolen during the Bloomingdale’s burglary. Burke was then charged with commercial burglary, grand theft, vandalism, possession of stolen property, and vehicle theft.
Detectives were then able to develop information leading them to two more suspects – a father and son who had also participated in the burglary. In January of 2016, arrest warrants were obtained for both men.
On January 27, 2016, detectives arrested 49-year-old James Edward Sandoval of Hayward at Alameda County’s Santa Rita Jail. He was charged with commercial burglary, grand theft, and vandalism.
The son, 30-year-old Joseph Daniel Sandoval of Hayward, is currently at large and is wanted in connection to the crime. Police have been unable to find him and are asking for the public’s help to locate him. It is suspected that a fourth female suspected was also there at the time of the burglary and police are continuing to try and identify her.
Anyone with information about this incident, or Joseph Sandoval’s current whereabouts, is asked to call our 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voice mail to 650-383-8984. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through our free mobile app, downloadable at bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.
