San Francisco Tenderloin Officers Arrest Stolen Vehicle Thieves

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- The holiday season got a little happier over the weekend for several Bay Area residents as San Francisco police cracked down on vehicle thieves in the city's troubled Tenderloin District.

San Francisco police tweeted Sunday that five stolen vehicles had been recovered and suspects were in custody. The vehicles had been reported stolen in Oakland, Mill Valley and San Francisco's Richmond, Marina and North Beach Districts.

Among those arrested, San Francisco police said, were a convicted burglar and also a wanted parolee.

Vehicle thefts have been on the rise across the Bay Area in recent months. Earlier this month, Oakland police reported that underage suspects as young as 11 years old have held victims at gunpoint to take their vehicles.

OPD had made multiple arrests, but was still searching for other suspects.

Investigators said the juveniles, ranging in age between 11-16, were known to use the stolen vehicles to commit additional robberies throughout Oakland.

"It is my hope that everyone is alarmed by the fact that it appears these violent acts are being committed by middle-school-age youth, barely more than children, armed with weapons," said interim Police Chief Susan E. Manheimer. "This not only poses a great risk to our community but also to the offenders and their young peers. OPD is working with our city and county partners to interrupt this troubling criminal behavior while reaching these adolescents at such a critical stage in their lives."