In the early hours of Friday, technology once again proved its worth in the realm of public safety. Eugene Police officers were alerted by a license plate reader of a stolen Hyundai near Kinsrow Avenue, prompting them to take action. The high-tech equipment, designed to read and process license plate information at lightning speeds, pinpointed the exact location of the vehicle at 3:01 a.m., leading officers to the scene of the crime.
As it happens, the discovery of the stolen vehicle coincided with a series of calls from concerned locals. Reports were flooding in about a quartet of individuals, all donned in black, who appeared to be attempting to commit vehicle burglaries in the vicinity. Armed with this information, the officers soon made contact with four suspects on Centennial Drive, near Aspen Street.
The investigation that ensued resulted in the arrest of 19-year-old Michael Allen Gutierrez Jr., who now faces charges for attempted Unlawful Use of a Vehicle. The scene also yielded an unexpected turn when one of the suspects, a 15-year-old male juvenile, was recognized for an unrelated outstanding warrant and taken into custody. The pertinent details of these events were reported by the official Eugene Police Department's press release.
Meanwhile, the two remaining associates, both minors in their mid-teens, were released from the scene without further ado.
