Crime and Courts

Man accused of sledgehammer burglaries across San Diego County in court

Robert Coleman, 33, is being held on a bail amount that exceeds $2 million for more than two dozen incidents.

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Nearly 30 businesses across San Diego County may have been broken into by the same man. This includes a family-owned pizza restaurant in Rancho Bernardo. NBC 7’s Dana Williams has more details.

A man who was arrested last week after separate burglaries across San Diego was in court this week for the first time, and detectives continue to investigate similar break-ins in recent months that they say he could be responsible for.

On Dec. 12, Robert Coleman, 33, was taken into custody by SDPD after police say he broke into three restaurants — two in the 4S Ranch neighborhood and one in the University City area. However, once he was in custody, the department began to reveal more details about other crimes Coleman might have committed, according to SDPD Detective Sgt. Brian French. 

French explained there was a felony warrant out for Coleman’s arrest from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department prior to him being arrested by SDPD. He told NBC 7 there were 19 burglaries, in addition to three that happened on Dec. 12, from Escondido to Normal Heights that Coleman is being investigated for. His MO, French said, was using a sledgehammer as revealed by businesses’ security video. Police officers also found one in his car when he was arrested.

Days later, on Dec. 16, Coleman had his first arraignment at the San Diego Superior Court downtown. According to the San Diego County District Attorney’s office, he pleaded not guilty to two charges, one for burglary and one for vandalism of Ramon’s Taco Shop in University City. It is one of the break-ins that happened on Dec. 12.

Then, on Dec. 18, Coleman appeared in the North County Superior Court of California in Vista on Tuesday for another arraignment. According to the San Diego County District Attorney’s office, he pleaded not guilty to six counts of burglary and vandalism charges. The criminal complaint for Coleman claimed he burglarized six businesses in the San Marcos area, alongside a codefendant, including Little Caesars Pizza, Neto’s Mexican Restaurant, Fantabulous Nails, Chef Pho and Grill, Meadows Pet Care and Che Bangs The Salon.

Robert Coleman, the man accused of more than a dozen brazen burglaries, was in court. He was arrested last week after police say he used a sledgehammer to break into businesses. NBC 7’s Dana Williams reports on Dec. 17, 2024.

That is seven cases, but law enforcement expects to bring more charges forward as cases are reviewed. As for bail, the first case being held in Vista’s court is a $750,000 bail while the other cases being held downtown are at $1.5 million for bail.

In total, according to sheriff’s department’s “Who’s in Jail” online portal, Coleman is being held at a bail amount of more than $2 million for 25 counts of felony burglary and 19 counts of felony vandalism.

One of the businesses that SDPD believes may have been hit by Coleman is Perfect Pizza in Rancho Bernardo. It was broken into on Oct. 28 just before 4 a.m. The family-owned business has been in the same spot for nearly five years, with no issues until then. 

“My phone was just blaring,” Tricha Davila, one of the owners, told NBC 7.

She explained that her and her family were out of town when they started to get notifications from their security system. She opened her phone and saw someone use a sledgehammer to smash the glass front door, then look for cash registers, try to smash into their safe, and, eventually, leave the safe in the middle of the road after unsuccessfully trying to load it into the back of a sedan with a driver. 

Thieves used a sledgehammer to smash their way inside local businesses and get away with cash, reports NBC 7's Jackie Crea, who spoke with business owners at a recently hit shopping center.

“It was just one of those things where it was like, you wasted your time trying to come in and grab something from us, and at the same time, I mean, the damage is over $1,500 dollars,” she said. “Now we have a fence, so … even if the door gets busted open, no one can actually physically come in, which is really good, but it's just sad we had to go to those extremes.”

She told NBC 7 that when she learned their break-in might be part of a larger string, it really hit home, especially so close to the holidays. 

“All the way from Tierrasanta, all the way up to Escondido. That's a lot, that’s a lot of destruction, a lot of property damage, a lot of families that are hurting,” she said. “At the end of the day, everybody’s just trying to make a living, and for somebody to come in and cause that damage, it's just tough. It’s heartbreaking.”

NBC 7 also spoke with a handful of other businesses who may have been impacted by Coleman. The majority of them captured very similar videos that show someone in a hood, with a sledgehammer, smash their glass entry door and rifle through registers looking for cash.

Coleman has been convicted of a felony burglary charge twice before, once in 2019 and a second time in 2022, in San Bernardino County, according to the criminal complaint shared with NBC 7 by the DA’s office. He is expected to be in court for more arraignments in the coming weeks. 

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