San Mateo: Man on arrested on suspicion of two flower shop burglaries

An Oakland man was arrested Saturday on suspicion of breaking into two flower shops on El Camino Real to steal cash registers, police said.

An Oakland man was arrested Saturday on suspicion of breaking into two flower shops on El Camino Real in San Mateo to steal cash registers, police said.

At around 3 a.m. on Saturday, officers heard an alarm bell sounding at Ah Sam Floral Co. at 2645 South El Camino Real. They spotted the man standing in front of the store, and he ran across the street to a nearby parking lot, where officers detained him.

Two cash registers were found on the sidewalk in front of the store. Security footage showed the man shot out the shop’s front glass doors with a BB gun and tried to steal the registers, police said.

Police believe the man broke into San Mateo Florist & Gifts on Thursday night at 2341 South El Camino Real, just up the road from Ah Sam’s.

The windows of that shop were also shattered and a cash register was missing. Security footage showed the suspect was likely the same man, police said.

The man was found to have a history of flower shop burglaries and was on post-release supervision from prison. He was booked into San Mateo County jail on suspicion of two counts of second-degree burglary.