Seven arrested in smash-and-grab burglary at Sunvalley Shopping Center

CONCORD — Seven people, six of them under 18 years old, were arrested early Sunday after a smash-and-grab burglary at the Sunvalley Shopping Center and a short police pursuit that ended in a crash, police said.

It all happened about 3:50 a.m. on Sunday after officers received a call about a burglary in process. Police did not say if the burglary targeted any particular store.

In a statement, police said they arrested an 18-year-old man who they booked into the Martinez Detention Facility. He remained there Monday in lieu of $100,000 bail, according to jail records.

The other six suspects all were taken to the Contra Costa County Juvenile Hall.

According to police, the group forced entry into the mall through glass doors. When officers arrived, some of those suspects were exiting the mall. Four of them entered a car, police said.

The car fled the mall, and police said officers followed them. Police said the driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed, then tried to run from the vehicle. No other cars were involved in the crash, and police said nobody suffered any injuries.

Officers found the driver hiding in the bushes a short distance away and arrested him. The three other people that had been in the car also were arrested at the crash scene. Police said one of them had a gun with modifications that had turned it into an assault weapon.

The three other people involved were left behind at the mall and arrested there.