PLANO, Texas — Several suspects wanted for burglary were caught in the act and arrested in Plano, officials said.
The Plano Police Department said nine suspects are facing charges of burglary of habitation and engaging in organized crime.
Their identifies are as follows:
- Leonayves Azuaje, 25
- Melvin Alvarado, 21
- Keiry Burgos, 24
- Yader Carazo, 19
- Sergio Cardenas, 28
- Rudy Castro, 22
- Angel Oviedo, 17
- Kevin Ventura, 25
- Jeffrey Zelay, 18
According to Plano PD, members of the burglary unit and detectives from other units began an investigation after reports of burglaries that occurred in Plano on Aug. 16 and Aug. 26.
Plano PD said that, after reviewing several hours of surveillance footage, detectives were able to identify possible suspect vehicles in both crimes.
On Sept. 5, detectives located the suspect vehicles, which reportedly traveled from Houston to the Plano area. Detectives then began surveillance, observing as the suspects cased an apartment complex in the 6500 block of Independence Parkway and then purchased tools commonly used in burglaries, police said.
Detectives said when the suspects returned to the apartment complex, they confirmed a burglary had occurred. Then, with the assistance of patrol units and Texas DPS, police said all nine suspects were taken into custody.
According to court documents WFAA obtained, most of the victims targeted are of Indian-Asian descent.
"I didn't even know," said one resident, who did not want to be identified. He wished the apartment complex had notified them of the incident.
"It's a really concerning situation for me. It's a good mix of Middle Eastern and South Asian people that live in this community," he said.
Detectives at the scene also recovered victims’ jewelry items and the suspects’ burglary tools, according to police.
"That's their end goal: to get that jewelry and to make the pawn and make money off of that," said Plano Police Officer Jennifer Chapman.
Police said all of the suspects were transported to the Plano City Jail and later taken to the Collin County Detention Center for a bond hearing. Their bond amounts have not been released at this time.
“The Plano Police Department is committed to providing a safe environment for our citizens, and we will continue to actively investigate all criminal activity in our city,” the department said in a new release.
WFAA reached out to McKinney attorney Michael Curran who, according to the Collin County Jail records, legally represents multiple people involved. Curran told WFAA Thursday, Sept. 7 that he could not comment at this time.
Police are asking anyone with additional information about this crime to call the burglary tip line at 972-941-5555.
"We are going after them and we want the criminals to know we are coming for them," said Chapman.