Photo: actual gun (l), unnamed suspect, replica gun with tire iron
SANTA CRUZ – A car burglary in progress brought a patrol team from the Santa Cruz Police Department out to the 800 block of Chestnut Street on January 24 at 2:00 a.m.
Two male suspects were breaking the windows of parked vehicles and going through the contents of the vehicles.
With a perimeter established, officers tightened the noose and came in upon the suspects on foot.
The two suspects tried to run away. First, 22-year-old Raul Camacho was detained, with a gun in his waistband. He also had a tire iron on him. Turns out the “gun” was merely a replica.
The other suspect, 23-year-old Sergio Alverez-Lopez, was spotted squatting near a bush, and came out when called…at gunpoint.
Alverez-Lopez had tossed a loaded semi-automatic handgun, a real one, that officers recovered. He was a gang member and had prior charges of weapons violations.
The duo were arrested for car burglary, conspiracy to commit a crime, bench warrant felony, carrying a concealed weapon, being a gang member carrying loaded firearm and possession of burglary tools.
