San Carlos Serial Tire-Slasher Suspect Arrested

A man suspected in a 2009 tire-slashing spree that triggered the formation of a neighborhood watch group in San Carlos was arrested on Friday, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Department.

Ian Anthony Mitchell, 20, was arrested on four outstanding arrest warrants after he was found riding with two other suspects in a vehicle on the 400 block of Walnut Street around 4 a.m., Lt. Ray Lunny said.

One of the warrants dates back to A Feb. 21, 2009, "Tire Slash" case in San Carlos, in which the tires were slashed on around 50 vehicles in one night. The case caused sufficient concern at the time, and it triggered the formation of the White Oaks Neighborhood Watch Program, Lunny said.

Mitchell, a transient, was identified as a suspect after a blood sample taken from the rim of one of the victim vehicles was matched to him, and a $100,000 warrant was issued for his arrest. He is 6 feet 5 inches tall, 175 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes.

Investigators are still trying to determine why Mitchell and the two others in the vehicle, none of whom are San Carlos residents, were driving around the city at 4 a.m.

Anyone with information related to this investigation is asked to contact sheriff's Detective Victor Bertolozzi at (650) 363-4057, or call the anonymous tip line at (800) 547-2700.

-- Bay City News Service