FREMONT — Two home invasion robbery suspects were arrested Monday morning after a police vehicle pursuit that ended with the suspects crashing into a building where a natural gas line was ruptured, authorities said.
One of the suspects is a 17-year-old boy and the other a 19-year-old San Jose man, police said.
The robbery was reported at about 4:53 a.m. Monday in the 4400 block of Ibero Way, in the city’s Mission San Jose area.
Police said the suspects, at least one brandishing a gun, forced their way inside and robbed the residents of personal property including their vehicle. None of the residents were injured.
The suspects fled in the stolen vehicle with the 19-year-old driving and it was spotted a short time later by a Fremont police officer on Mission Boulevard. The suspects failed to stop and a vehicle pursuit started.
The suspects crashed their vehicle into a building near Mayhews Road, causing a natural gas line to rupture, Fremont police spokeswoman Geneva Bosques said.
Authorities have not said if the leak prompted any evacuations.
One suspect fled but was arrested after a foot pursuit. He was taken to a hospital for evaluation of possible injuries.
The second suspect was initially believed to be trapped inside the crashed vehicle, police said. Since the vehicle and building had sustained significant damage and because of the gas leak, police and firefighters coordinated a plan to check the vehicle for the outstanding suspect. He was not located in the vehicle but a short time later a community member called police dispatch about a suspicious male waiting at a nearby bus stop and it turned out to be the second suspect who was arrested, police said. A loaded handgun was found in the vehicle, police said.
Police determined the suspects also committed a separate residential burglary on Ibero Way and were casing the neighborhood prior to the home invasion robbery. The residents of the burglarized home were asleep when the suspects broke in and police saw their door was breached while investigating the residential robbery, Bosques said. The residents, who were asleep upstairs from the floor ransacked, were not aware of the burglary until told by police. A separate stolen vehicle was also found in the neighborhood and police believe the suspects arrived in the neighborhood in that stolen vehicle before committing the burglary and robbery.
The suspects were arrested on suspicion of armed home invasion robbery, burglary, possession of a firearm, felony evading and possession of a stolen vehicle.
Fremont police are working with San Jose police regarding potential related home invasion robberies and burglaries there. Anyone with information regarding the investigation is encouraged to call Fremont Detective Ryan Lobue and 510-790-6900 or rlobue@fremont.gov.
Staff writer George Kelly contributed to this report.