SAN ANTONIO — The Bexar County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) arrested a man who was caught on camera trying to break into a far northwest-side home.
Sabashtian Beltran, 21, was charged with attempted burglary of a habitation on Monday.
BCSO deputies say Beltran tried to break into the home located in the 800 block of Lovela Bend, near the intersection of Culebra Road and Galm Road, around 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.
A woman told KENS 5 she was at home with her two young children at the time of the attempted break-in. The entire incident was caught on camera.
The surveillance video shows a man approaching the home and knocking on the front door. The residents inside did not respond, deputies say. Apparently Beltran assumed the home was vacant, because he is then seen trying to pry the front door open with a crowbar.
When she realized what was happening, the victim told KENS 5 she grabbed her kids and planned to hide them in a room upstairs. That's when the victim's daughter screamed, which prompted Beltran to leave.
“He indicated that he fled the location when he realized that there were children inside the house," said Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar. "To hear him say it, it was because he realized they were kids and he ‘has a heart.’ So, thankfully for us, we have a burglar with a heart of gold that's considerate of others, especially children."
BCSO posted the doorbell video on Facebook over the weekend and asked the community for information. According to deputies, the tips started pouring in.
Salazar says the video helped them find the suspect.
“That was instrumental in helping us get this information out there," he said. "It’s good quality video, it’s good [camera] placement.”
Michael Auerbach is the founder of Alamo Smart Home.
"We are one of the only security companies that keep all of our customers local," said Auerbach. "I think everyone should have a home security system, it's like insurance. In my opinion, there are four important things when it comes to cameras. There is obviously the quality; you need to be able to see what's going on. You also need a good angle. So, if you just do outdoor cameras facing the street, it's not going to capture anyone at the door because it's too high up and you can't get things like identifying tattoos. Also, make sure that you catch the entire span. There are a lot of cameras out there where you see the person walking away, so it's really important that the camera catches before, during and after the motion. The fourth thing is active deterrents because it stops a lot of things. People need to know you have a camera. If the camera is whistling or talking to them, it can prevent things from happening."
Beltran has no criminal history involving burglary but does have a criminal history of assault and unlawful carry of a handgun, authorities say.
In the video Beltran is seen communicating with someone and is believed to be working with another individual, who is acting as a “lookout," according to deputies.
You are asked to call the Bexar County Sheriff's Office if you know anything about this incident or the second suspect.
You can call BCSO at (210) 335-6000 or email bcsotips@bexar.org with any information.
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