SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – A man suspected of breaking into restaurants in 4S Ranch and University City within a span of an hour was arrested after a vehicle crash early Thursday morning, San Diego Police said.
An SDPD sergeant told ABC 10News a break-in was reported at the Board & Brew eatery in the 16400 block of Paseo Del Sur at around 3:30 a.m.
Officers dispatched to the scene saw a car leaving the area that a license plate reader flagged.
About an hour later, officers were called to a restaurant in the 3800 block of Governor Drive after an alarm was triggered. Responding officers arrived to find shattered glass from the eatery's front door on the ground and no one inside.
Police said a separate license plate reader tracked the car that left the 4S Ranch area on northbound Genesee Avenue -- close to where the second break-in occurred.
According to police, officers spotted the car a short time later on eastbound state Route 56 near Interstate 5 and followed it.
Officers were tracking the car until it spun out at the Camino Del Sur off-ramp and came to rest in vegetation. Police then took the driver into custody.
Police told ABC 10News a red hooded sweatshirt, gloves, and what looked like a ski mask were recovered by officers. A sledgehammer was found in the car after further inspection.
Police did not confirm if the man arrested was linked to a series of November break-ins in the Tierrasanta area in which the perpetrator used a sledgehammer.
