Man Arrested After Breaking Into Home To Steal Vacuum Cleaner

A man in California was arrested after police say he broke into an elderly woman's residence in Palo Alto, according to the Palo Alto Police Department. Police do not believe this burglary is connected to a series of dinnertime break-ins happening around Palo Alto, but it certainly is a weird one.

On Friday, around 1:32 pm, a call came into the Palo Alto Police Department from someone living on Fernando Avenue, stating there was a house burglary happening. A woman in her 80s heard banging coming from her front door and moved to the second floor of her home.

The woman told officers that she saw the man who broke into her home on the stairs, and he ran away when she screamed at him. She then called police, who came out to the area to search. They found that the suspect had allegedly forced his way into the home by breaking a glass panel on the back door.

According to the victim, it appeared the man rummaged through her first floor and stole a small portable vacuum cleaner. Officers say they found parts of the vacuum scattered outside of the home.

Around 3:18pm, a little under two hours later, another officer spotted the suspect on a nearby street. Police say he ran across the street and disappeared into the Creekside Inn where employees directed officers to where he was hiding.

Officers took the man into custody without incident and found an attachment that the police involved found a vacuum attachment also stolen from the home.

Police booked 23-year-old Jaime Gonzalez Martinez into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on a felony charge of residential battery. Police say Martinez also had two outstanding misdemeanor warrants for battery and domestic violence, so he was booked for those crimes as well.

Read more at KRON 4

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