A 19-year-old Pleasanton man is facing burglary charges after police say he was one of several suspects behind a pre-dawn crime spree earlier this month that smashed into dozens of businesses across the city, with similar break-ins also reported in Danville and San Ramon. Juan Luis Valdez-Luevano was arrested Sept. 16 at the Alameda County Probation Office in Dublin, six days after investigators say the rampage tore through Pleasanton storefronts before sunrise.
According to CBS News, at least 18 businesses in different areas of Pleasanton were broken into and ransacked before dawn on Sept. 10. Other outlets reported higher tallies for the same spree: Patch reported that Pleasanton detectives linked Valdez-Luevano to a spree in which at least 25 businesses in the city were burglarized, while the Bay Area Telegraph described suspects smashing glass doors and windows while targeting more than two dozen businesses. Reported counts range from at least 18 to at least 25 businesses.
Four individuals in hooded sweatshirts were seen smashing front glass windows during the spree, and at least one business had its cash register taken, per the Patch account. The suspects then fled in a sedan with no license plates, and officers pursued the vehicle along Stanley Boulevard before calling off the chase west of Highway 84, according to the Bay Area Telegraph's report.
Detectives Trace Evidence Back to a Vineyard Avenue Home
Detectives working with neighboring law enforcement agencies identified Valdez-Luevano, a Pleasanton resident, as one of the suspects in the days that followed. On Sept. 16, investigators from San Ramon and Pleasanton served search warrants on his vehicle and his home on Vineyard Avenue in Pleasanton, per the same Bay Area Telegraph account, and found evidence in both locations that they believe is related to the burglaries.
That same day, San Ramon police and Dublin police services detectives arrested Valdez-Luevano in Dublin on a Contra Costa County warrant. He was booked in Contra Costa County on multiple burglary-related charges and was expected to be transferred to Alameda County, where additional charges were being sought, the report notes. The allegations against Valdez-Luevano have not been proven in court.
A Wider Web Across Three Counties
Investigators say the Sept. 10 Pleasanton spree may not stand alone. Pleasanton police said multiple suspects are believed to be responsible for similar crime sprees in at least three counties in recent weeks, and the department is working with neighboring agencies to identify additional suspects, according to CBS News.
Comparable incidents have already surfaced elsewhere in the region. Fourteen burglaries were reported at the Crossroads Shopping Center and along the 100 block of Hartz Avenue in Danville during the early-morning hours of Sept. 1, the Bay Area Telegraph reported. Patch reported that similar burglary sprees also hit San Ramon and Danville, though police did not specify whether Valdez-Luevano was involved in those incidents. Separately, Contra Costa News reported that the broader investigation covered commercial burglaries throughout Contra Costa, Alameda and Santa Clara counties.
The Pleasanton Police Department has asked anyone with information to call 925-931-5269 as the investigation continues.
