EL CAJON (KGTV) — One photo led officers to the location and arrest of 29-year-old Mohammed Abdulkareem on Thursday evening. El Cajon Police say Abdulkareem shot three people at a dentist’s office, killing one.
The San Diego County Medical Examiner's office identified the victim on Friday as Benjamin Ariel Harouni, a 28-year-old San Diego man.
“There was obviously a public safety concern with this person being on the loose,” Chief Mike Moulton said.
Moulton says witnesses reported Abdulkareem driving away in a white U-Hall pickup truck.
“We were able to access our license plate reader system and quickly identify that car in our city,” Moulton said.
El Cajon’s license plate reader system is connected to forty cameras placed at busy intersections across the city. Chief Moulton told me one of the cameras on Mollison and Madison took the picture of Abdulkareem’s getaway car. As a result, officers were able to locate the car and shooter nearby quickly.
“It has a very good use for public safety when we’re looking for dangerous people,” Moulton said.
El Cajon installed these cameras in August. Since then, Moulton said they've led to 108 arrests, mostly connected to stolen cars. Police say officers also used them to help solve a double homicide at a Halloween party last year.
“How is that information being stored? How is it being shared?” asked Erin Tsurumoto Grassi, a policy director at Alliance San Diego.
A few months ago, organizations like Alliance San Diego raised privacy concerns.
“We need to make sure they’re guaranteeing the privacy rights of all of us, and they’re complying with state law,” Tsurumoto Grassi said.
El Cajon Police say these cameras capture still images of the backsides of cars. They don't record video, speed, or faces; the images are only used when connected to crime. The license plate reader program is scheduled to end in three years, but Moulton says they've seen tremendous success and expects it to continue using it further down the line.
