Alleged Car Burglars Crash in Tam Valley

A high-speed chase involving a pair of men suspected of burglarizing cars in a Muir Beach parking lot ended in a crash on Shoreline Hwy. in Tam Valley Friday afternoon, according to the Marin County Sheriff’s Office.

The incident began just before 1 p.m. when witnesses reported seeing Hispanic men taking property from cars in the crowded parking lot at Slide Ranch, an educational farm in Muir Beach, according to Sheriff’s Lt. Barry Heying.

The suspects took off when they realized they’d been spotting breaking into the cars, Heying said, and sped out of the parking lot in a burgundy PT Cruiser, striking a parked car in the process.

Sheriff’s deputies went to the scene, only to be passed by the PT Cruiser speeding in the opposite direction along Panoramic Highway. Deputies chased the suspects and Mill Valley Police officers went towards Tam Junction to cut off their escape, Heying said.

The suspects attempted to elude deputies and police and crashed the car on Shoreline Hwy. between Flamingo Road and Dolan Avenue. No one was injured in the crash.

Heying said the victims from three separate thefts from the parking lot tallied up their losses (keys, cameras, cell phones) and were brought to Tam Valley where they positively identified the suspects at the crash scene as the same ones they saw at Slide Ranch.

Deputies arrested Cristian Canal, 35, of Alameda, and Henry Guerro-Lopez, 55 of San Francisco on suspicion of possession of stolen property, burglary and possession of burglary tools. Both men were booked into Marin County Jail and remain in custody with a $50,000 bail each.