‘Prolific’ burglary suspect arrested in string of downtown-area break-ins, Sacramento police say

The Sacramento Police Department announced Thursday an arrest in a string of high-profile burglaries at businesses this month in and near downtown.

A 61-year-old Sacramento man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of burglarizing Beers Books on Aug. 17, said Officer Anthony Gamble, a spokesman for the Police Department. The suspect smashed the Southside Park bookstore’s glass door, which was the third break-in the store had in about a year, according to a social media post by the business.

The man did not steal anything in the Aug. 17 incident, but the damage cost the business about a couple thousand dollars, according to the business. It’s especially hard when the business runs on razor-thin margins, Beers Books said on social media.

Andrew Naify, a manager for Beers Books, said his attitude toward the suspect is complicated.

“My honest feeling is just sympathy for the guy,” Naify said in a phone interview Thursday. “He just needs help.”

But he later added: “It is not something we can forgive right off the bat.”

The man, who has not yet been charged in Sacramento Superior Court, was released from jail Wednesday, according to online jail records.

Gamble said an investigator developed probable cause that the man also burglarized two other businesses, both restaurants: Ace’s Gyro Shack, 1603 10th St., on Aug. 21 in downtown Sacramento; and Hook & Ladder, 1630 S St., in the Richmond Grove neighborhood.

“(The suspect) is a prolific burglar in the downtown area,” Gamble said.

Naify said he’s been operating Beers Books for about 10 years and the first of the three burglaries since last year — in which a suspect took collectible books worth thousands — was the first time such an incident unfolded for him.

“It’s jarring,” Naify said.

The community’s support has rallied the business during this stressful time, and he thanked them for their support.

There’s “nothing but love,” for their supporters, he said.