Six people were arrested Wednesday morning following the service of search and arrest warrants in connection with a string of “window-smash” burglaries that have occurred throughout the city of Lompoc over the past several months, police said.
Dating back to June, 15 burglaries have occurred at commercial businesses throughout the city. The most recent burglary occurred Sept. 24, said Capt. Kevin Martin, spokesman for the Lompoc Police Department.
Investigators working the cases developed leads on possible suspects that were linked to a pair of apartments in the 500 block of North G Street. Police obtained the warrants and intel led police to believe there were multiple subjects living in the apartments, Capt. Martin told the News-Press.
Due to the number of people involved and their backgrounds, police deployed a SWAT team to serve the warrants. Due to limited staffing, Lompoc police were assisted by the Santa Maria Police Department in the warrant service, Capt. Martin said.
A total of 21 people were detained. Six people had what was described as on-view charges, warrants for their arrest or probation violations. They were taken into custody for their various charges.
Following a search of the apartments, detectives recovered numerous items of stolen property. Police on Wednesday were continuing to search the residences to look for more stolen items. The primary suspect involved in the burglaries was outstanding as of Wednesday afternoon, Capt. Martin said.
The burglaries were described as “window-smash” incidents, during which the suspect or suspects broke the front window of a business before entering and stealing property.
