Man who broke into 2 Atascadero businesses arrested hours after burglaries, police say

Hours after a burglar hit two Atascadero businesses early Saturday morning, police tracked down a man who matched the description of the suspect, according to the Atascadero Police Department.

At 2:34 a.m. Saturday, Atascadero police officers responded to a call on the 5800 block of Traffic Way, the agency said in a news release.

“Upon arrival, officers determined forced entry had occurred to two businesses,” police said.

Investigators determined that the suspect had been injured “as a result of broken glass” and followed a trail with use of a K9 unit for more than an hour,” the release said.

Shortly after 8:30 a.m., police located an injured man in the 6800 block of El Camino Real, according to the release.

He “matched the description of the suspect from video surveillance gathered from one of the businesses,” police said, and was treated by Atascadero Fire & Emergency Services personnel.

“Appropriate burglary and vandalism charges” against the man, who was not identified, will be filed with the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office, police said.

Manuel Barba, owner of Traffic Records in Atascadero, described one of the break-ins — which he said happened at the Raconteur Room bar, 5840 Traffic Way in Atascadero — in a post on the SLO North County Incidents Facebook group’s page.

“This asshole, trash, scum, vile animal broke into The Raconteur Room last night and had almost 15 minutes to wreak havoc before police showed,” Barba wrote, including photos from the business’s surveillance cameras.

“Through the investigation, it was learned neither businesses suffered a loss of cash,” according to the release.

This story was originally published August 28, 2022 at 11:40 AM.