A routine weekend patrol under the Almansor Street bridge turned into something far more interesting Saturday, when Alhambra officers pulled up on a pickup parked on a red curb and said they found masks and tools inside.
The truck was under the bridge near Ramona Road, with tinted windows and its back door open, according to the Alhambra Police Department. What began as a simple curb violation stop quickly escalated once officers took a closer look at who and what was inside.
Search Turned Up Masks And Tools
Inside the vehicle, officers found four people dressed in dark clothing, the department wrote in a Alhambra Police Department statement. One person reportedly took off up a nearby hill, then came back and told officers he had been looking for a restroom.
A search of the truck turned up what police described as four black ski masks, three screwdrivers, two window punchers and a reciprocating saw. According to the department, the group told officers they were driving from San Bernardino to Bakersfield and had pulled off in Alhambra to smoke.
Tools Frequently Linked To Burglaries
Law enforcement agencies often seize items like reciprocating saws and window punches during anti-burglary patrols, since those tools can be used to force entry into cars and businesses. The San Francisco Police Department has reported similar seizures during a citywide auto burglary abatement operation. That pattern helps explain why officers tend to view such implements as suspicious when they turn up in a parked vehicle.
Who Was Booked
In its Alhambra Police Department post, the department said the four people arrested were booked into the Alhambra City Jail as Juan Simon of Oakland, Juan Hernandez of Salinas, Daniel Sanchez of Los Angeles and Brian Perez of Hawthorne.
The post did not list any charges. Booking is an administrative step, not a finding of guilt, and the department did not immediately say whether prosecutors would file criminal charges.
Almansor Street has seen police activity before; a separate arrest on the block last November underscored why officers routinely patrol the corridor. This report will be updated as the department releases more information or as public records become available.
