3 arrested after 50 vehicles broken into on Christmas Eve in Howard County

Three people were arrested, including a 16-year-old, after nearly 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 and Columbia. They are also suspected of breaking into 30 additional vehicles in the area.

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

The two adult suspects were charged and posted bail on Friday, Dec. 26, according to court records.

"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.

Around 5 a.m., an officer spotted the suspects running away from a stolen car and tracked them with a drone, using its 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."