Contra Costa authorities link at least 18 burglaries to same home invasion crew
Authorities have linked 18 home burglaries around Contra Costa County to the same crew, including one instance where $30,000 in jewelry was stolen and another where an Alamo couple awoke to find a burglar in their home, court records show.
The tally includes eight burglaries in central Contra Costa on one January weekend, all of which involved a similar modus operandi: multiple burglars broke through backyard sliding glass doors, briefly searched through the home, then sped away in a similar-looking black or dark-colored sedan. Of those eight, four involved no loss of property, while the others saw suspects leave with thousands of dollars worth of valuables, authorities say.
As many as a half-dozen suspects could be involved, according to police, but thus far, only one has been arrested and charged. His name is Israel Diaz-Rondan, 30, and he’s now facing 24 felony counts related to home burglaries in Contra Costa County.
Originally charged with 18 counts of residential burglary, Diaz-Rondan had his preliminary hearing on March 24, where a superior court judge dismissed six of the burglary counts, citing lack of evidence. Diaz-Rondan now faces a dozen counts of burglary, as well as multiple counts of grand theft of firearm and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
In 2015, Diaz-Rondan and another man were arrested in Pleasanton on suspicion of a home burglary there. He was convicted and sentenced to jail in 2017, court records show.
Diaz-Rondan was identified as a suspect roughly three weeks after there were eight reported burglaries, all linked to the same crew, in Walnut Creek, Alamo, Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda, authorities say. It started Jan. 20, when a couple on Stone Valley Road in Alamo awoke to find a burglar in their home, but after they called police, they discovered nothing had been taken.
The spree ended after authorities attempted to pull over the suspect vehicle after a Lafayette burglary, but the car sped away. Deputies chased it into Oakland, but terminated the pursuit after it exited Highway 24 evaded authorities. The driver of the vehicle was not yet been identified, police say.
Diaz-Rondan has pleaded not guilty. His bail has been set at $2 million and he is next due in court in May, records show. Meanwhile, police say they’ve identified at least one additional suspect who has not yet been charged.