Man Nabbed Following Bizarre Pleasanton Crime Spree

PLEASANTON, CA — A Santa Cruz County man who wore a very noticeable stolen sweatshirt during a bizarre crime spree was arrested in Pleasanton last weekend, police officials said. By the time most residents had finished their lunch Friday, Daniel Burns, 35, had committed burglary, arson, hit-and-run, auto theft and vandalism, in addition to a slew of other crimes while in Pleasanton, according to police.

One of the key things identifying the suspect and tying him to the crime spree was a unique sweatshirt he allegedly stole during a residential burglary earlier in the day and wore while terrorizing Pleasanton residents between 7 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., police said.

Police said Burns was allegedly driving a stolen Jeep Cherokee that morning when he crashed into several street signs and abandoned it near Stoneridge Drive and Willow Road. Soon after, construction workers near West Las Positas Boulevard and Willow Road called police to report a “suspicious man” who asked them if they wanted to purchase a rifle.

The same day, police responded to a small house fire and burglary reported on Christina Court. The burglar allegedly took a unique high school sweatshirt, which was labeled with a name across the back, along with kitchen knives and alcohol.

Not far from the burglary, 12 cars were found with slashed tires in two locations in the 3500 block of Bernal Avenue. Video surveillance showed the suspect, later identified as Burns, using the kitchen knives taken during the earlier burglary on Christina Court.

Witnesses said Burns was wearing the stolen sweatshirt when he used the kitchen knives to threaten a business owner before carjacking driver near Bernal Avenue and Tawny Drive. Police said witnesses and surveillance revealed that the same man was involved in all of the crimes reported that morning.

By the early afternoon, police in Fremont investigating a theft from convenience store in Fremont said store surveillance showed the same suspect wearing the sweatshirt while driving in a stolen GMC truck.

The next morning, the stolen GMC truck was found in Santa Cruz County. Burns, who allegedly appeared paranoid, flagged Scotts Valley police officers down soon after the truck was discovered. He told the officers he had been on the run from a motorcycle street gang for several days.

Burns was taken to Pleasanton as part of the investigation into the crime spree. He allegedly provided a confession and told officers of a stolen .22-caliber rifle he hid after crashing the Jeep. Burns was arrested on suspicion of numerous felony charges and was booked into the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.

Photo courtesy Pleasanton Police Department