The Atherton Police Department has arrested a man on burglary charges after he allegedly targeted Atherton homes in spring of 2022, according to a news bulletin from Chief Steven McCulley on May 5.

The man was identified using DNA technology and is suspected of being a member of a South American gang allegedly responsible for burglaries across the state, including several in Atherton, McCulley said in the bulletin.

The DNA evidence came from an April 2022 burglary reported on Alta Vista Drive in Atherton in which $60,000 in property was reportedly taken, including jewelry, designer luggage and purses. The burglar entered through a smashed window, leaving blood smudges in the master bedroom that were used as DNA samples, according to McCulley.

Atherton police received a DNA match in June 2022 for the suspect, who was previously arrested by the Newport Beach Police Department in connection with a burglary in November 2021. The DNA received two more matches in August from the Los Angeles Police Department involving burglaries in May and June of 2022, McCulley said.

The suspect was arrested by Inglewood police on unrelated charges on April 22 and extradited to Atherton on April 29, where he was booked into San Mateo County Jail.