Two Peninsula Vehicle Theft Suspects Arrested

SAN MATEO, CA — Two vehicle theft suspects were arrested early Wednesday morning in connection with separate incidents, San Mateo police said.

At around 1:45 a.m. police conducted a record check of a Lexus traveling on northbound Highway 101 near the 3rd Ave. exit found the license plates matched a Kia out of Redwood City, police said.

Police pulled over the vehicle and determined that Lexus had been reported stolen out of San Carlos two days earlier, police said.

Police arrested the driver, 21-year-old Enrique Alejandro Gonzalez Sanchez of San Mateo on suspicion of vehicle theft.

Shortly after 4 a.m. officers patrolling the area of 5th Avenue / S. Humboldt Street saw a man rummaging through a parked car that a record check showed been reported stolen out of San Jose the previous day, police said.

Police arrested Jonathen Augustin Dones, 20 of San Jose, on suspicion of vehicle theft.

Police said “shaved” car keys were found on Dones.

Shaved keys work by fitting into the vehicle's ignition and fooling the ignition system into believing it is the original key.

The suspects in both cases were issued citations and released in accordance with COVID-19 jail policies, police said.