Police Foil Burglary at Marijuana Grow House, Seize 500 Plants

Two men were arrested after what appeared to be an attempted home invasion robbery at a marijuana grow house early Tuesday morning, police said.

According to Lt. Ben Horner, officers were sent to investigate a routine noise complaint in the area of Arroyo Park at about 2:30 a.m.

Arriving officers didn’t locate any disturbance but as they were leaving the area, a resident flagged the officers down and alerted them to suspicious activity at a neighboring home on the 2100 block of De Witt Court.

The officers saw three suspects carrying large garbage bags from the home, which later turned out to be filled with marijuana. The home, which was unoccupied at the time of the burglary, contained a marijuana growing operation with 500 plants, Horner said.

As soon as they saw the authorities, the suspects started to flee and jump fences.

Police established a larger perimeter and conducted house-to-house searches.

The first suspect was found hiding in the backseat of a car parked nearby. He refused to get out of the vehicle and resisted arrest. The suspect attempted to choke a police dog and grabbled with officers before being restrained, Horner said.

The suspect was bitten by the dog and received minor injuries. He was later transported to a hospital for treatment before being taken to jail.

A second suspect was found hiding in a nearby yard and was arrested without incident.

Despite an extensive search, authorities were unable to locate the third suspect, Horner said.

Both men, whose names were not yet released, were arrested on a various charges, including suspicion of burglary, assault on police officers and a number of narcotics charges, Horner said.

The Southern Alameda County Major Task Force executed a search warrant of the home and located 500 marijuana plants. They are in the process of locating the property owners.

Authorities also located a handgun and masks inside of the home, indicating that the men may have been trying to execute an armed home-invasion style robbery, Horner said.

The discovery of the grow house is one of several found in recent months in Union City.

In June, . More than with another .

“It’s a growing problem area-wide,” Horner said.

He said grow operations are often found in rental, abandoned and foreclosed homes.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Union City Police Department at 510-471-1365 or the anonymous tip line at 510-675-5207. Tips can also be e-mailed to tips@unioncity.org.