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A Redwood City resident has been linked to at least three home break-ins in San Carlos and Redwood City, following a two-month investigation by the Redwood City Police Department and San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.
Miguel Antonio AguilarSarabia, 36, has been in custody at the Maguire Correctional Facility since Jan. 17 after police arrested him during a residential burglary investigation on the 300 block of Alameda de las Pulgas in Redwood City.
Shortly after 4 a.m., officers responded to a report of a prowler inside a home. A caregiver said she and an elderly homeowner were on the lower level of the residence when she heard footsteps coming from upstairs, and that the home’s alarm system did not activate.
Officers first contacted the caregiver and homeowner, who were not injured, before securing the home in “pitch-black conditions,” according to the sheriff’s office.
Redwood City police deployed a first-responder drone to help search the area and track the man until they located and arrested him and recovered jewelry and other valuables belonging to the homeowner. AguilarSarabia was later booked into jail.
Investigators later obtained a warrant to search AguilarSarabia’s residence, “based on the seriousness of the case,” according to the Sheriff’s Office. Authorities said the search was to recover stolen property and evidence linking him to at least two other incidents.
One of those cases involved a home invasion in San Carlos, where police said the suspect reportedly forced entry into the victim’s home near the 1400 block of Greenwood Ave. on Friday, Jan. 9, before 2 a.m. He allegedly pointed what appeared to be a firearm at the victim and demanded money and valuables, according to the County Sheriff. He then fled on a bicycle and left the victim uninjured.
Deputies with the sheriff’s office searched the area, canvassed the neighborhood and deployed a drone and K-9 units, but were not able to catch him that day. Sheriff’s deputies did not catch AguilarSarabia until the Jan. 17 burglary.
A forensic analysis later conducted by the Sheriff’s Office linked AguilarSarabia to the San Carlos home invasion and another residential burglary, according to authorities. The investigation identified potential charges including robbery, assault with a semi-automatic firearm, felony elder abuse, and another residential burglary.
Redwood City police did not respond to a request for information related to the other burglary in time for publication.
AguilarSarabia attended a preliminary hearing on Feb. 24, where the judge found probable cause for the case, and is scheduled to be arraigned on March 11 at 8:30 a.m. in superior court, according to the County’s Assistant District Attorney Shin-Mee Chang.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 650-363-4911or the Redwood City Police at 650-780-7100.
Editor’s Note: This article was updated to include the name of the suspect and information about his upcoming arraignment.
