PALO ALTO – Authorities over the weekend arrested four Chilean nationals on suspicion of breaking into a residence in Palo Alto.
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The incident happened around 9:30 p.m. Saturday at an unoccupied home in the 2300 block of Byron Street, the Palo Alto Police Department said in a news release.
The victim, who was overseas at the time, contacted authorities after she received a notification from her security system and saw several strangers breaking into her residence, police said.
Officers arrived to find three people running from the home. All three were arrested following a foot chase, and a fourth person was found hiding in a 2018 Chevrolet Tahoe parked near the home, police said.
An investigation revealed the suspects had forced their way into the residence by breaking a glass door on a second-floor balcony, police said, adding that they had ransacked two bedrooms and loaded property into two bags by the time officers arrived.
One of the suspects was wearing a pair of expensive wristwatches and had a women’s diamond ring in his sock, police said. An investigation was underway to determine if the jewelry was stolen from the Byron Street home or somewhere else.
Officers also found a flashlight and two window punch tools at the scene, police said.
The suspects – identified as a 23-year-old man, an 18-year-old man and a pair of 17-year-old boys – told police they were visiting the United States from Chile. All four were arrested on suspicion of burglary, conspiracy and resisting arrest. The 18-year-old man and the boys were also arrested on suspicion of possessing burglary tools.
The Chevrolet had a license plate that belonged to a different car, but neither the SUV nor the license plate had been reported stolen.
Anyone with information related to the case can contact the police department at 650-329-2413; those wishing to remain anonymous can call or text 650-383-8984 or email paloalto@tipnow.org.