A car speeding to avoid the pursuit of a sheriff's department vehicle crashed into the yard of a residence on El Quito Way on April 10.

Once the occupants of the car were apprehended, deputies found several stolen items inside the vehicle. They also found a gun.

Officials at the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office say they believe that the incident and the subsequent arrests might reveal some clues about recent burglaries in Saratoga.

"The three occupants of the car have been arrested. They were from the Watsonville area and we suspect that they might be affiliated with some gangs in that area," said Lt. Terry Calderone.

Calderone said that investigations are ongoing and charges have not yet been filed.

Burglaries, both commercial and residential, have shown an upward trend in Saratoga recently. There have beens five residential burglaries in the city in February and 10 in March. There have been 10 commercial burglaries in Saratoga in the last two months.

Calderone said that two suspected burglars recently arrested in San Martin might also have had a hand in some local burglaries. Some stolen items recovered from them matched the description of items that were stolen in Saratoga. Calderone said police officers in San Martin also recovered a letter from the suspected burglars that had been written by someone in prison.

"The letter instructed them on how to target affluent communities like Saratoga," said Calderone. "It also gave advice on how to target mailboxes for identity theft."

In recent months, there has also been a significant rise in auto burglaries in Saratoga.

"A lot of people leave their laptops and other valuables lying around in their cars," Calderone said. "They should lock their valuables in the trunk of the car. A trunk is much more difficult to break into."