SUNNYVALE ARRESTEE MAY BE LINKED TO 100 BURGLARIES

SUNNYVALE, Calif. – The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety (DPS), in cooperation with the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, is continuing to investigate a series of residential burglaries that affected the community for a nearly two-year period.

Larry Bryan, a 53-year-old San Jose resident, was arrested by DPS officers during the commission of a residential burglary in December 2006. He was booked into the Santa Clara County main jail and subsequently charged with suspicion of burglary and possession of stolen property. He remains in custody, awaiting trial on 19 counts of burglary. DPS investigators believe Bryan may be responsible for as many as 100 burglaries in the south bay area. Many of these burglaries involved homes belonging to people of East-Indian descent. 

Sunnyvale DPS crime analysis first noticed the trend of East-Indian burglaries early in 2005. The series seemed to have started in January 2005, with five occurring by the end of February. There was a lull until the summer and fall of 2005, when the burglaries started up again. By October, the community had experienced 11 more burglaries that seemed part of the same series. Throughout this time, the cities of Cupertino and Santa Clara were experiencing similar burglaries.

The burglaries hit a high in November 2006. Eighteen residential burglaries were reported to Sunnyvale DPS that month, with most occurring around Thanksgiving. While closely matching the method of operation that police had seen in 2005, this series involved many non-Indian victims.

 The burglaries continued with frequency in December 2006. DPS alerted the public in early December, distributing flyers door-to-door and at schools and churches in the involved areas. Bryan was arrested while committing a burglary December 30 after a resident reported a possible intruder in their house. Since his arrest, police have not investigated any burglaries with Bryan’s distinct method of operation.  

Detectives have relied on the cooperation of victims in these cases to identify property from previous burglaries that link Bryan to these crimes. DPS is requesting further assistance from the public to reunite the owners with the large amount of property that has been seized from Bryan. Anyone with information or questions about this crime is asked to contact DPS Detective Jeff Hunter by calling (408) 730-7120.