'Teddy bear bandit' caught by San Mateo police
SAN MATEO, Calif. - San Mateo police officers say they’ve arrested a man once known as the Bay Area’s "Teddy Bear Bandit."
They believe 51-year-old Andre Murphy broke into Ah Sam Floral Co. on El Camino Real just before 3 a.m. Saturday.
Officers patrolling the area heard an alarm sounding from the business.
When they arrived, two cash registers were on the sidewalk.
They claim Murphy was outside the business, then ran away.
They caught up with him in a nearby parking lot.
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On Thursday, San Mateo Florist & Gifts was burglarized.
The business located fewer than 800 feet from Ah Sam Floral Co. also had a cash register stolen.
Murphy was arrested for both commercial burglaries.
In 2019, Murphy was sentenced to five years in prison for breaking into businesses in Pacifica, San Carlos, Millbrae and Half Moon Bay.
He was also accused of stealing stuffed animals from a San Leandro flower shop.