A 58-year-old man referred to by police as a "prolific commercial burglar" was arrested last month on suspicion of targeting San Francisco tech startups, police said Monday.
San Francisco resident James Flanagan was arrested April 25 at 11:13 a.m. in the 500 block of Ellis Street. He's been charged with 12 counts of burglary and nine counts of grand theft for being involved in a series of burglaries conducted over a six-week period between March 12 and April 24, police said.
In the alleged burglaries, a total of about $75,000 worth of electronics were taken from several businesses identified as tech startups. Officers were able to identify Flanagan as a suspect after an investigation.
Flanagan, who has an extensive history of burglary arrests, was on felony probation when the crimes were committed and also had a felony warrant for his arrest, police said.
Flanagan remains in custody and is being held without bail, according to jail records.
Although an arrest has been made, police are continuing to investigate the burglaries and are asking anyone with information to contact their tip line at (415) 575-4444 or to text a tip to 847411 with SFPD at the beginning of the message. Tipsters have the option of remaining anonymous.
