CONCORD, CALIFORNIA – An organized burglary ring targeted vehicles and residential garages across Concord for months, allegedly stealing tools, guns and vehicles before investigators recovered a massive cache of property from an Oakland home.
The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office said the ring was connected to around 35 burglaries in Concord’s Ygnacio and Clayton Valley areas between April and July. In a more detailed account, Concord police put the total at 37 vehicle and residential burglaries in the city, plus approximately 40 additional burglaries elsewhere in Contra Costa and Solano counties.
Authorities ultimately recovered at least 500 power tools among approximately $250,000 worth of suspected stolen property, prosecutors said.
How The Concord Burglaries Allegedly Worked
According to Concord police, the suspects typically struck during the early morning. They allegedly broke into vehicles, found garage-door openers inside and used the remotes to enter the associated garages, where they looked for power tools and other valuables.
The case involved more than property theft. Police said surveillance video from one May burglary showed armed suspects pointing a gun toward the interior door connecting a garage to a home, apparently anticipating that a resident might come through it. No confrontation with a homeowner was reported.
During another burglary, the suspects allegedly stole 14 firearms from a residential garage.
Police attempted to stop suspected vehicles on multiple occasions in May and June, but the drivers fled. In a separate June incident, juveniles allegedly involved in the series crashed while fleeing a burglary and escaped on foot. Officers recovered a firearm, police said.
Four Juveniles Arrested
Working with Richmond police, Concord detectives identified four juveniles believed to be involved in the burglaries. One was already being held in Juvenile Hall in connection with an unrelated incident outside Concord.
Police obtained arrest and search warrants for the other three. Concord’s SWAT team carried out simultaneous operations in July with help from the Antioch and Pittsburg police departments, Central County SWAT and the U.S. Marshals Service. All three juveniles were arrested, according to police.
Searches of their residences led investigators to two firearms allegedly stolen during a Concord burglary. Richmond police had previously recovered a third stolen gun during their own investigation.
The juveniles’ names have not been released because of their ages. The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office filed complaints against three of them, police said.
Oakland Man Faces Five Felony Charges
Investigators said communications involving the juvenile suspects led them to 37-year-old Oakland resident Wuillian Cordova-Cubias. Concord police allege Cordova-Cubias purchased tools from members of the group on multiple occasions, sometimes immediately after the burglaries.
On Aug. 5, Concord and Oakland police officers and members of the U.S. Marshals Service executed an arrest warrant and searched Cordova-Cubias’s Oakland residence.
Along with at least 500 power tools, investigators said they found a stolen utility ATV, a stolen forklift, an unregistered firearm, survey equipment, pipe-inspection equipment and other high-value property. Police estimated the total value at approximately $250,000.
Prosecutors filed five felony charges against Cordova-Cubias on Aug. 7. They include receiving stolen property, two counts of receiving a stolen motor vehicle, unlawful firearm activity and conspiracy to commit a crime with juvenile conspirators. The charges also carry enhancements that could increase the potential penalties.
Cordova-Cubias was being held at the Martinez Detention Facility and was scheduled for arraignment in Contra Costa County Superior Court on Aug. 10. The allegations against him and the juvenile suspects have not been proven in court.
In an earlier alert about the burglary series, Concord police urged residents to lock vehicles even when they are parked in a driveway and to avoid leaving garage-door remotes, keys, wallets or valuables inside. Police also advised keeping garage doors closed and secured overnight.
