Suspected Auto Burglar Tried—and Failed—to Hide Face From Police

The tables turned for a man who reportedly tried to hide his face during a chance encounter with Gilroy police on Friday when officers arrested him for burglary and released his identity, according to a department press release.

Police identified the man as 34-year-old Mark Oliveira in the release today.

An officer on a “proactive patrol” noticed the driver of a blue Toyota truck “attempt to conceal his face” while he left a parking lot on the 7100 block of Camino Arroyo at 3:30 a.m. that morning, police said.

Shortly afterward, police received a call that a gloved man in a blue Toyota truck had entered a different parking lot, burglarized a vehicle and left. The description matched the truck seen earlier, according to the report.

Police found the man and his truck at a nearby gas station. The witness to the reported burglary identified Oliveira as the person who committed the crime.

After conducting a parole search of his home, police said they found the stolen items as well as items stolen in a January vehicle burglary.

Police returned the items and transported the suspect to the Santa Clara County Jail, booking him on charges of “burglary, possession of stolen property and parole hold.”