Police drone tracks down 3 accused of breaking into 50 vehicles on Christmas Eve in Howard County

Three people were arrested, including a 16-year-old, after 50 vehicles were broken into over several hours on the morning of Christmas Eve in Howard County, according to police.

Police arrested 19-year-old Jan Carlos Arita, 18-year-old Anthony Alvarenga-Barrera, and a 16-year-old -- all from Baltimore -- and charged them with breaking into 20 vehicles in Ellicott City. They are also suspected of breaking into 30 additional vehicles in Columbia on the same night.

Officers said many of the vehicles were left with shattered windshields and windows.

The two adult suspects were charged and posted bail on Wednesday, Dec. 24. They went before a judge on Friday, Dec. 26, according to court records. 

They are charged with motor vehicle theft and several counts of malicious destruction of property. The adult suspects are due back in court in about eight weeks. Because of their age, police have not released any information on the 16-year-old suspect.

"On the day before Christmas, people had their windshields broken, items stolen out of their vehicles," said Seth Hoffman, with the Howard County Police Department. "So really, they were responsible for a lot of heartache during the holiday season, and quickly, within hours, we were able to arrest them."

How the suspects were captured

Howard County Police shared a video detailing how they arrested the suspects in the area of Route 100.

Just before 5 a.m., police responded to a neighborhood in Ellicott City for reported car break-ins. Officers spotted a vehicle leaving the scene and pursued it.

After the brief vehicle chase, police say the suspect car, which was also stolen from Laurel, Maryland, crashed. The suspects were spotted running away from a stolen car and tracked down using a drone with a thermal camera. Police located the suspects hiding in brush off the highway.

"Somebody spotted these suspects going into vehicles, and they called the police," Hoffman said. "So when police arrived, that's when they noticed this vehicle, which actually was determined to be stolen from Laurel and were able to chase it. So these suspects were using a stolen vehicle to break into other vehicles."

"It is dangerous"

Residents in Howard County said they believe crimes like this have only increased in recent years. They call this crime spree concerning.

"It is dangerous. I moved to Howard County because there was no crime initially," said Nancy Jaye, who lives in Ellicott City.

"I've heard of different things going on, stolen laptops and things like that, from cars and but this is the most cars that I've heard," added Spencer White, from Columbia.

The residents said there needs to be more education, programs, and even mentorship so young people turn away from doing something like this.

"Even though it's sad and yeah, you should get them off the streets, maybe it's better for them to get better programs to teach them better so they can do better," said Moise Larose, from Columbia.