Manteca Police upset the plan of two suspected commercial burglars shortly before 3 a.m. Thursday when an alarm company heard voices inside the Wash Time Car Wash in the 1300 block of East Yosemite Avenue.
The alarm firm representative told the dispatcher that voices could be heard between two suspects inside the business. Manteca officers arrived on the scene and set up a perimeter outside the car wash and determined the business was secure and its doors locked.
Officers reported hearing the suspects whispering to each other through outside external vents. Police then requested assistance from Manteca Fire Department and its aerial ladder to provide roof access where a roof panel was suspected to have been used to gain access.
The Sheriff’s Department also sent an additional unit to help in maintaining the perimeter around the business due to a conjoining roof and attic access between two businesses. One of the officers on the roof located an open panel and a backpack containing tools.
While officers waited for the business owner to respond to the scene, one of the suspects emerged from the building and was taken into custody without incident. A short time later the business owner arrived and gave officers access to the interior. Officers announced they were letting a canine into the building but the second suspect remained hidden.
Fresh interior damage to the ceiling was noticed by officers. During a search of the ceiling area the second suspect was located and he also was taken into custody without incident. They were both charged with burglary and conspiracy and are scheduled to appear in the Manteca Branch of the San Joaquin County Superior Court on Monday.
Burglary suspects tripped up by their whispers