Suspects in Berkeley auto theft ring arrested; dozens of vehicles stripped for parts
Berkeley police arrested two people in connection with a stolen vehicle operation that had dozens of cars stripped for parts, the department said Tuesday.
Officers investigating a case involving multiple vehicles stolen in a single night developed a lead that brought them to an area along railroad tracks in East Oakland, the Berkeley Police Department said in a press release. Along a portion of the tracks between 50th and 66th avenues, officers found four Honda vehicles that had recently been stolen and were stripped of parts, with the engines removed and staged for pickup, police said.
Officers began surveilling the location and the next morning saw several people loading the stolen engines into a pickup truck, police said. They were tracked by members of the Alameda County Regional Auto Theft Task Force, which led investigators to a second location in East Oakland.
During the investigation, police said detectives discovered more than 50 vehicles that had been stripped for parts, along with several vehicles that had been completely burned. About half of those vehicles had been stolen from Berkeley over the past several weeks, police said.
On July 23, Berkeley and Oakland police officers arrested 47-year-old Jesus Rodriguez and 43-year-old Manuel Tapia, both who were listed as unhoused. They face charges of possession of stolen property, dismantling or tampering with a vehicle, and operating a chop shop. Police said Rodriguez also has an outstanding warrant for robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.
Berkeley police said automated license plater reader cameras and other technologies were instrumental in helping officers identify leads and locate stolen vehicles. The department also noted that Honda Accords and Civics from 2024 to 2026 are the most frequently stolen vehicles in the Berkeley.
Detectives were still working to identify additional suspects connected to the vehicle theft and chop shop operation, police said.
