Gang Members Arrested After Residential Burglary in Fairfield

Fairfield police responded to a residential burglary call on the 1800 block of Clay Street last Thursday around 2:50 p.m., leading to the arrest of several gang members, according to the Fairfield Police Department. 

Here are the details: 

Officers determined that the victim was away from her home when she received a call from an alert neighbor informing her that strangers were in her backyard. The victim quickly returned home and interrupted two burglary suspects as they fled out a window at the back of the house and fled into the drainage ditch area to the rear of the home. The victim immediately notified the police, and officers converged on the area and set up a perimeter. 

Officers located the two suspects as they attempted to emerge from the backyard of another home on Clay St. When the suspects were spotted, they again fled by jumping fences into the drainage ditch behind the home. One suspect was apprehended on Sycamore St. near Clay St. and the other was captured in the drainage ditch area. The suspects were Javier Benitez Sanchez (an 18 year old Fairfield resident) and a 16 year old Suisun resident. 

Officers determined that the victim’s home had been ransacked and items such as: jewelry, video game consoles, prescription drugs, and clothing had been stolen. Additionally, the suspects had spray painted gang graffiti inside the garage of the victim’s home. 

When Javier Benitez Sanchez was captured, he had jewelry and clothing stuffed in his pocket that he had stolen from the victim’s home. When the juvenile was arrested, he had prescription medication in his pocket that he had stolen from the victim’s home as well. Officers and the victim’s family members canvased the area when they learned that additional items had been stolen, but were not in the immediate possession of the suspects. The TV and video game consoles were all located stashed in the creek area near Acacia St. and Clay St. 

Javier Benitez Sanchez and the juvenile were both affiliated with a local criminal street gang. They were booked into County Jail and Juvenile Hall (respectively) for burglary, conspiracy, possession of stolen property, possession of narcotics, and participating in criminal street gang activity.