6 Arrested in Calabasas in String of Car Burglaries

Sheriff’s deputies arrested four men and two juveniles--one a 9-year-old boy--suspected in a string of car burglaries that reached as far as Santa Barbara, authorities said.

The suspects were arrested about 6 a.m. Saturday as they attempted to break into a truck on Las Virgenes Road in Calabasas, said Sgt. Mike Santander of the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station. It was the second burglary of the morning in which the five are suspects, he said.

Deputies found a “slam hammer,” a commonly used burglary tool; a .22-caliber handgun, a mask, an array of car stereo speakers, radios, checkbooks and a tennis racquet inside their car, Santander said.

“We were able to trace some of the items back to Santa Barbara and identify them as stolen items,” Santander said.

Investigators Saturday were unable to say when the burglaries started or how many had occurred.

The adult suspects, Rodrigo Gonzalez Diaz, 22, of North Hollywood; Santiago Martinez, 37, of Los Angeles, and Valdamar Franco, 33, and Walter Herrera, 20, both transients, were being held in County Jail on suspicion of burglary and armed robbery, Santander said.

Bail was set at $10,000 for each of the adults. The juveniles, 16 and 9, were released to the custody of their parents, Santander said. The 9-year-old is believed to be the nephew of one of the adult suspects.