Vista computer burglary shows right up on Google Cloud

Two burglars climbed a tree, broke through a roof skylight, and used rope to rappel down into a Vista computer business and get away with $60,000 in loot, according to a prosecutor in court yesterday, July 24.

Khachik Darbinyan, 36, pleaded not guilty to two felonies, grand theft and second-degree burglary, in connection with the brash crime allegedly committed a year ago, in August 2017.

Darbinyan is one of the burglars who left the rope dangling from the broken skylight, according to a prosecutor who reviewed surveillance video from inside the computer-wholesale business located in Unit 144 at 1495 Poinsettia Avenue, in Vista.

Darbinyan stole a cell phone inside the business and used it to get a “selfie” of the blood on the side of his face, an injury possibly sustained during the break-in, a prosecutor alleged.

Another selfie Darbinyan allegedly took of himself (with the stolen phone) showed his chest tattoos, it is alleged. The defendant was asked to remove his shirt and expose his tattoos to the judge during a preliminary hearing yesterday.

Printouts of these “selfies” were entered as evidence.

The business owner testified that he had used that particular cell phone, a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Gold, to take photos of merchandise for sale, and those images are instantly uploaded to Google Cloud, for quick access by his employees. The captured images have GeoTag information automatically imbedded, the computer expert said. Using all that information, the alleged crime victim helped San Diego County Sheriff’s detectives find the location of the alleged thief and his stolen property.

The alleged criminals were using the stolen cell phone to capture images of their ill-gotten computer items, after they had brought the loot to their home in a neighboring county, prosecutor Peter Estes alleged.

Accompanied by Riverside County law enforcement, San Diego officers knocked on the door of the home at 13121 Cozzens Avenue in Chino, according to testimony of San Diego Sheriff’s detective Michael Gonzales.

One of the persons who answered the door was Khachik Darbinyan, detective Gonzales said. The detective said that parts inside the home he could see from the doorway looked the same as background that was captured in evidence photos he had reviewed.