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2 Arrested, 1 Sought In 2015 Smash-And-Grab Jewelry Heist At Palo Alto Bloomingdale's

PALO ALTO (CBS SF) -- Two men have been arrested in a 2015 Palo Alto jewelry heist in which an SUV was driven through the store's front glass doors and police on Tuesday were asking for help in finding a third suspect.

The early-morning burglary at a Bloomingdale's store in Palo Alto happened on May 13, 2015. Surveillance video showed an older model Jeep Cherokee, which turned out to have been stolen the day before, backing into and through the front doors and three burglars running in.

Another surveillance video showed the three burglars smashing display cases and stuffing jewelry in bags. The entire operation took less than two minutes.

Palo Alto Police said in a press release that evidence obtained from the SUV led to the identification in July of 2015 of one suspect, 34-year-old Bobby Donald Burke of Antioch. Burke was already in custody at the Contra Costa County Main Jail for an unrelated offense and was re-arrested as he was being released in September.

jewelry heist suspects
(L-R) Bobby Donald Burke, Joseph Daniel Sandoval, James Edward Sandoval (Palo Alto Police Dept.)

The investigation led to the identification of two other suspects, 49-year-old James Edward Sandoval and his son, 30-year-old Joseph Daniel Sandoval, both Hayward residents.

The elder Sandoval was also already incarcerated at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin on unrelated charges and was re-arrested in January upon his release. The whereabouts of the younger Sandoval are unknown and police were asking the public's help in finding him.

A fourth suspect, a woman, is also being sought but police have not been able to identify her.

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