SAN JOSE — Two Southern California men were arrested in a string of home burglaries in the Evergreen and Silver Creek areas, and have since been linked to several more instances in the city, according to San Jose police.
Dametrius Batchelor, 23, of Riverside, and Daemori Hunt, a 20-year-old resident of the nearby city of Moreno Valley, were arrested Dec. 6 following a chase that involved a police helicopter and ended in a residential neighborhood in East San Jose.
That evening, San Jose police, which had increased their presence in the area because of a rash of burglaries, were called to another incident in the 3000 block of King Estates. Responding officers spotted a car that matched one described in an earlier burglary, and tried to stop the car about five miles south near Fontanoso Way.
Two men fled the car and ran toward a creek and field area, but police officers aided by the SJPD helicopter found them hiding in brush. After they were arrested, police said officers searched the car and recovered stolen cash, jewelry and purses.
A subsequent burglary investigation linked the pair to at least seven other home burglaries, police said, adding that the estimated theft amounted to more than $300,000.
“This is yet another example of the exceptional proactive policing at SJPD that brings criminals to justice,” Police Chief Anthony Mata said in a statement.
Both men have been criminally charged in connection with the reported burglaries. Batchelor is currently being treated at a local hospital under police watch, according to jail records. Hunt is being held at the Elmwood men’s jail in lieu of $150,000 bail.
Anyone with information about the burglaries can contact the SJPD financial crimes unit at 408-537-1315 or email Detective Michael Roberson at [email protected]. Tips can also be left with Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408-947-7867 or at svcrimestoppers.org.
