Daly City Police made an arrest on the Chinese restaurant parking lot thefts targeting Asian victims

(Daly City) In recent months, a series of robberies and car break-ins occurred in the parking lots surrounding the Chinese restaurants in Serramonte Shopping Centers in Daly City. A 17-year-old juvenile who was believed to be responsible for the crime is in custody.

Robberies and car break-ins in the area have reached a level of fear for the restaurant employees who need to work and park around their workplace everyday. Wind Newspaper reported the situation and forwarded their concern to David Canepa, President of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and former Mayor of Day City, Daly City Mayor Juslyn Manalo, Members of the City Council and Police Chief Patrick Hensley.

Among the frequent car break-ins and robberies, the victims who were followed by the suspects to their vehicles were mostly women and walked alone.

Those robberies in the parking lots occurred in a similar fashion. Once the victims left the restaurants and walked back to their vehicles by themselves, the suspects would move quickly to the passenger seat side of the vehicle. The suspects first smashed the passenger side windows, then took the valuables on the passenger seats.

In at least two of the cases, the suspects took the victims' purses and found their driver licenses. Moments later, the suspects would show up at their residences and knock at the doors trying to break in their houses.

Some victims and their friends have believed the crime pattern is part of the anti-Asian hate and violence targeting Asian Americans, particularly Chinese and Asian women.

A substantial number of the robberies and car break-ins occurred in the parking lot close to the Chinese restaurant Koi Palace. The 17-year-old juvenile suspect who was arrested is a resident of San Francisco.

"This last week we supported in the arrest of a subject believed to have been responsible for the thefts from the occupied vehicles at the Koi Palace. We connected the individual to two of our cases and we will be filing charges. The arrest came as a result of investigative work by officers and detectives from Daly City and other agencies as it is suspected the subject was responsible for similar crimes throughout the Bay Area," said Captain Cameron Christensen of the Daly City Police Department on November 11.

According to Christensen, Daly City Police Department has analyzed all of the cases in the related parking lots area over the last 6 months. There have been some auto burglaries consistent with high density areas throughout the Bay Area. Three recent cases in which the vehicles were occupied at the time of the theft.

"We were aware of the cases and we have active investigations ongoing," said Christensen. "Of the reports reviewed, it appears the general vehicle burglaries were a crime of opportunity, as most of the cases were window smashes with the items taken being in plain view (purses, golf bags, camera bags, etc.)."

Daly City Police has found over the years that these specific parking lots are prime targets as they are off of the main road, Gellert Blvd, and the parking lots serve businesses where patrons are committed indoors for a longer period of time including restaurants and gyms. It also reduces the amount of foot traffic in the parking lots in comparison to other areas where people come and go during short trips into stores.

"Of the three cases where the vehicles were occupied, purses were the targeted item. This suggests the suspects were targeting the item as victims were walking through the lot to their vehicles," said Christensen. "The Daly City Police Department is sensitive to the anti-Asian concerns given our city demographic data and relationships we have with Asian community leaders. While I can’t say for sure what the suspects' motivations were, it seems the trend is specific to the targeted item and the secluded parking lots creating the opportunity. We have no evidence to suggest otherwise."

Daly City Police have contacted and worked with the restaurants to discuss lighting, signage and improving security cameras. "We are increasing patrols in the area as is typical this time of year with increasing thefts/auto burglaries with the approaching holiday’s," said Christensen.

Christensen also reiterated the importance of calling 911 for active concerns occurring in the parking lots and other locations, since the patrol officers were aware of the situation and the 911 calls would improve response times.