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Bluehawk Gonzales, 35, Arrested In Connection To Recent String Of UC Davis Burglaries

DAVIS (CBS13) — Authorities have arrested a man suspected of committing some of the many burglaries that occurred on UC Davis campus over the last two weeks.

Early Thursday morning, police officers responded to an alarm at the UC Davis Medical Group clinic building along West Covell Boulevard, which is near campus. With the help of Davis police, a perimeter was quickly set up in the area. The suspect, identified as 35-year-old Bluehawk Gonzales, was subsequently arrested as he walked out of a building, according to UC Davis police. He was allegedly carrying a cash box.

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Suspect Bluehawk Gonzales (credit: Davis Police Department)

UC Davis student Fatima Hussain has been watching her back lately after UC Davis alerted students of multiple burglaries on and around campus.

"People are honestly trying to work hard and get through this year and it doesn't help that there's people trying to break in and steal things that other people need," she said.

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Police detectives had identified Gonzales as a possible suspect in a total of 15 burglaries that had taken place since late October.

"He was breaking into buildings too, which is kind of scary because you don't know his intentions," said UC Davis student, Ximena Landeros.

After Gonzales' arrest, police said they discovered several items in his possession that were reportedly stolen from campus.

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UC Davis Police believe a mostly empty campus helped fuel his crime spree.

"There's a lot less people to report suspicious people when they are running around and that makes it more difficult for us," said Lt. Doug Voska with the UC Davis Police Department.

It's not Gonzales's first visit to campus. He was arrested back in 2017 for trespassing and possession of a weapon. Court records show Gonzales has been arrested several times on theft-related charges, including in August, but was released within hours.

"That's the policy now is early release because of COVID restrictions, so that makes it difficult for us to deal with repeat offenders," he said.

Police believe he is responsible for more than ten of the burglaries on and around campus. Davis police are also looking into whether he's possibly linked to other recent burglaries in their jurisdiction.

Security patrols have increased at the UC Davis campus in response to the incidents.

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