East Bay police find burglary suspect waiting on the back porch

EL CERRITO — A 41-year-old transient with a history of arrests for burglary was nabbed again on a person’s back porch Monday, thanks to a tip from a resident, police said.

The arrest happened after officers were called about 4:25 p.m. to the 1700 block of Liberty Street, a few blocks away from Potrero and San Pablo avenues.

In a statement, police said a homeowner was alerted to activity on the property after an alarm was triggered. The resident then looked at video footage and saw an unknown person inside the yard.

The suspect was on a back porch of the residence when officers arrived, police said. Those officers recognized the man as a suspect in a Jan. 25 residential burglary, also in El Cerrito, that happened about 2:35 a.m. on Jan. 25.

“We want our community to be aware and to report suspicious stuff, and in this case that’s what happened,” El Cerrito police Cmdr. Lauren Caputo said. “Somebody saw this guy in a yard and called us.”

Police arrested the man on suspicion of first-degree burglary and unlawful trespassing. He remained in custody on Wednesday at the West Contra Costa County Detention Facility in lieu of $50,000 bail.

Police confirmed that the suspect has had other previous arrests on suspicion of burglary.