Serial robbery suspect arrested after SWAT standoff

REDWOOD CITY (KGO) -- An hours-long SWAT standoff at a home in the North Fair Oaks area of Redwood City ended Thursday evening after officers were able to convince a serial armed robbery suspect to surrender.

Deputies took 30-year-old Miguel Caballero into the San Mateo County Jail soon after a standoff at his home ended peacefully.

"He kept on promising that he would come out within a few minutes, he never did," San Mateo Co. Sheriff's Lt. Larry Schumaker said. "That lasted a good hour, hour and a half. Eventually, they convinced him to come out."

Investigators had actually been watching Caballero's home hours before they were able to talk with him using a bullhorn. They say they had good reason to believe he was at the address after having received numerous tips from the public.

Surveillance video that captured the suspect during one of his robberies aired on Bay Area news stations.

"People identified the person what they saw in the video and then we took DMV photos and took the information we had with the video and it was a perfect match, so we knew where he was residing," Schumaker said.

The sheriff's department says Caballero's robbery spree began August 7. They say he targeted markets, a gas station and a restaurant and in one of those incidents, even threatened to shoot a pregnant woman.

After his surrender, investigators searched Caballero's house and left with a box full of evidence.

Investigators say Caballero has an extensive criminal record, mostly for narcotics and traffic violations.

"He was considered armed and dangerous, so he was a threat to our community and we're glad he was taken into custody," Schumaker said.

Caballero was arrested for five counts of robbery.

Get more Peninsula News »

crime, redwood city, peninsula news, lilian kim

• Comment Now
• Email
• Print
• Report a typo
•