Residents confront would-be burglars in Hercules

By Henry K. Lee (KTVU) Hercules - Hercules police say they hope surveillance video will lead to the arrests of burglars who have confronted residents in homes they thought had no one inside.

One video shows two men sneaking out of a car parked on a victim's driveway on Obsidian in a neighborhood known as the Stones.

They were confronted by the homeowner, who was interviewed by KTVU but did not want to be identified. He said he yelled out some choice words as he saw his front door being pried open by a crowbar at about 12:30 p.m. Monday 

"What the f'- is going on!? " he demanded. That scared the intruders away. 

Surveillance video shows the men getting back into their car only 15 seconds after they tried to get into the house. 

But the same car then showed up across town in the Victoria by the Bay neighborhood along the waterfront. At least one man forced his way into a home on South Shelter Bay.

"That one, they actually made entry into the home, made it up to the second floor," said Hercules police Sgt. .Joe Vasquez.

The resident, Glenn, who asked us to use his first name only, was sleeping at the time because he works the graveyard shift. He said he heard loud sounds, opened his bedroom door and realized that an intruder had made it all the way upstairs.

"I was looking at him over there, and he was facing this way so when I yelled, he just started running" Glenn said. 

Police believe the same crew may have broken into at least two other homes Monday in Hercules when those residents were away. The men were riding in a black, newer-model Chevy Malibu with tinted windows and paper plates. The car may have been a rental 

"It's like their job. They just go random city to city, just looking for houses that looks like there's no one home and just forcing themselves in. It's just crazy," Glenn said.

Police say residents should consider responding to knocks and doorbells by talking to the person through the door. Many burglars try to see if a home is empty first

"I strongly recommend that you announce yourself, let it be known that the house is not vacant," Vasquez said.

The resident on Obsidian says he ignored loud knocks at the door about a half-hour before the intrusion. He says he peeked outside and saw a man he didn't recognize. The victim says he''ll respond to all future knocks.

"We should at least answer the door, without opening the door, just answer, 'What do you want' or 'We don't want anything,' " he said.