MEDIA RELEASE / COMMUNITY ALERT
For Immediate Release No. 20230309-016
Thursday, March 9, 2023
SMPD Stolen Vehicle Stop Yields Arrests
San Mateo, CA - On Wednesday, March 8, 2023, at approximately 5:30 p.m., SMPD officers were notified about a stolen vehicle near Hillsdale Boulevard and Saratoga Drive. Several officers canvassed the area to locate the vehicle. A SMPD officer found the vehicle behind a building located in the 2600 block of El Camino Real. Once additional officers arrived, SMPD conducted a traffic stop on the stolen vehicle. Officers ordered the driver, later identified as Tenzin Rinchen, out of the vehicle. Rinchen exited the vehicle, and officers safely detained him.
After further investigation, officers learned Rinchen had a no bail warrant from San Mateo County Probation Department for a violation of his supervised release. Officers transported and booked Rinchen into San Mateo County Jail for vehicle theft, possession of a stolen vehicle, and auto theft with a prior.
As the San Mateo Police Department continues to address vehicle theft, we have some helpful tips on how to protect your car from theft.
Protect Your Ride
There are numerous antitheft systems and devices designed to make vehicles more difficult to steal or easier to trace and recover. Here are how some of them work:
- Audible and Visible Devices: These devices, such as a horn alarm, deter theft by bringing attention to an unauthorized attempt to steal or enter a vehicle. Visible devices create a visual threat/warning/deterrence, such as the use of steering-wheel locks, as well as theft-deterrent decals, flashing lights, and window etching.
- Immobilizing-Type Devices: These prevent thieves from bypassing a vehicle’s ignition system and hot-wiring the vehicle. Some incorporate computer chips in ignition keys or disable the flow of electricity or fuel to the engine.
- Vehicle Recovery Systems: These devices use electronic transmission technology that help law enforcement reveal the location of stolen vehicles—and possibly catch the thief in the act.
Helpful Tips when parking and exiting your vehicle:
- Take your vehicle's key; do not leave it in or on your vehicle.
- Close and lock all windows and doors when you park.
- Park in well-lit areas if possible and within view of a security camera.
- Never leave valuables in your vehicle, especially if they can be seen from outside the vehicle.
Thieves want vehicle parts and valuable items, too:
Thieves want whatever sells, from the mandated labeled parts to those that aren't. Some of the most popular vehicle parts or valuable items stolen from vehicles include doors, lift gates, engines, transmissions, catalytic converters, air bags, radios, GPS units, cell phones, iPads, laptops, and purses.
For additional tips, please visit:
https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/vehicle-theft-prevention.
ARRESTED
Tenzin Rinchen, a 24-year-old San Mateo resident
Charges: Vehicle theft (10851 CVC), possession of a stolen vehicle (496D(A) PC), auto theft with a prior (666.5(A) PC)
MEDIA CONTACT
Alison Gilmore
Public Information Officer | Support Services
City of San Mateo Police Department
200 Franklin Pkwy, San Mateo, CA 94403
650-522-7626 |
[email protected]
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