Police set up a perimeter at a San Mateo motel after learning an armed man was likely inside one of its rooms, an incident that resulted in the arrest of a convicted felon and seizure of a sawed-off shotgun early Friday.
The incident unfolded about 9:24 p.m. Thursday, when police patrolling in the 100 block of N. Bayshore Boulevard, a hot spot for auto-related crimes, saw an unoccupied Honda CRV parked at America’s Best Value Inn located at 140 N Bayshore Blvd.
The Honda’s ignition had been punched, meaning some object other than a key had been used to start the vehicle, and a DMV records check showed the vehicle had been stolen in Palo Alto on Monday, police said. A review of security cameras revealed the car’s driver pulling a long gun from the trunk before going into his motel room, which prompted officers to set up a perimeter.
Just before 1 a.m., officers contacted the suspect, identified as James Blain Carrasco, and an associate at the stolen vehicle as they walked out of the motel room, police said.
Carrasco, a convicted felon, was arrested without incident and a search of his person yielded drug paraphernalia and a shaved key, police said.
“Officers later searched the motel room and seized a sawed-off Remington 870 12-gauge shotgun,” police said.
Carrasco was transported and booked at San Mateo County Jail on suspicion of grand theft auto, possessing a firearm with an active restraining order, committing a felony while out on bail, and possessing a sawed-off shotgun, among other charges.
Photo: Getty images
