Castle Rock Serial Burglar Eric Vasquez Arrested Again After Garage Break-Ins

Eric Vasquez had already been through this once. Castle Rock police arrested the 42-year-old in December for garage burglaries, then released him shortly after. On Sunday night, Colorado Springs tactical officers had to hunt him down through a neighbor's yard.

Colorado Springs Police Department detectives had been building toward that arrest since February, when they noticed a pattern of garage break-ins spanning multiple locations across the Front Range. The crimes were similar enough that investigators believed they were all connected. By early March, they had narrowed their focus to Vasquez, the same man Castle Rock authorities had already picked up and let go months earlier.

When detectives tracked Vasquez's vehicle to the 6400 block of Showhorse Court, near North Carefree Circle on the city's east side, they sent in a tactical team. Officers moved in the moment Vasquez climbed into the car. He tried to drive away. When that failed, he ran.

"Vasquez attempted unsuccessfully to flee in his vehicle and eventually fled on foot," a CSPD lieutenant said. "He was apprehended a short time later in the yard of a neighboring residence."

Vasquez now faces multiple charges including burglary, obstruction and criminal mischief. As of Monday morning, he remained in the El Paso County jail. Police say the full scope of his alleged criminal activity is still under investigation, meaning the list of break-ins tied to his name may not yet be complete.