PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A man has been charged with 50 felonies in connection with a months-long crime spree that specifically targeted law enforcement vehicles across Palm Beach County, resulting in the theft of multiple police weapons and equipment.
WATCH BELOW: 'It's totally frightening,' Kelly Sandbach tells WPTV's Joel Lopez
James Gaines, 20, was arrested in Tuesday following an extensive investigation by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office South Florida Criminal Apprehension Team. Court documents show he faces 35 counts of burglary of a conveyance, nine counts of grand theft of a motor vehicle, and six counts of burglary of an emergency vehicle.
The investigation began Dec. 23, 2025, when multiple police vehicles were burglarized in Boca Raton.
According to the probable cause affidavit, investigators discovered Gaines, who was 19 at the time, had used Uber to travel to crime locations during early morning hours between November 2025 and April 2026. Records show he would be dropped off in residential neighborhoods, commit burglaries and vehicle thefts, then use stolen vehicles to continue criminal activity before abandoning them near his residence.
"The investigation revealed a sophisticated pattern of criminal behavior that targeted both civilian and law enforcement vehicles," the affidavit states.
Court documents detail that Gaines specifically targeted police vehicles from multiple agencies, including the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, West Palm Beach Police Department, and Delray Beach Police Department. Stolen items included AR-15 rifles, service pistols, body armor, tactical equipment and ammunition.
The affidavit notes that despite observing obvious law enforcement equipment in vehicles, including marked vests and emergency lights, Gaines continued to burglarize the police vehicles and steal weapons.
Key evidence included car keys buried at Gaines' residence that matched stolen vehicles, and digital forensics showing his phone had connected via Bluetooth to infotainment systems in stolen cars. Surveillance footage from multiple locations showed a suspect wearing distinctive footwear consistent across several crime scenes.
Search warrants executed at two addresses associated with Gaines yielded physical evidence linking him to the crimes, including stolen police equipment and items that had been GPS-tracked to his locations.
Neighbors in affected areas described the impact of the crime spree to WPTV reporter Joel Lopez. Daniel DeLeon said the suspect attempted to break into both his and his mother's car, prompting his mother to call 911.
"It was around 3 a.m. or 4 a.m., she just woke up, because she heard some kind of a noise, like somebody was moving stuff around and when she checked the camera she noticed there was like a guy outside," DeLeon said.
DeLeon told Lopez the suspect jiggled his car door and then he went to his mom's car, which was parked in front of surveillance camera. He told WPTV all the car doors were locked.
"I never keep anything valuable in the car. Ever since that day, I take the clicker out," DeLeon said. "My biggest fear is they open the garage and get into the house."
Kelly Sandbach, another victim whose car window was smashed, costing her $2,000 to repair, said she was relieved by the arrest but shaken by what was stolen.
"I'm happy to hear that somebody was caught. It's totally frightening that they're in possession of not just valuables, but guns and things like that" Sandbach said. "I'm completely horrified by it and completely scared. I have two young kids here, so they're aware of these things happening and they feel really unsafe."
Gaines is being held without bond and made his first appearance at the Palm Beach County Courthouse Wednesday morning.
PBSO told WPTV that this case is part of a larger investigation, and they believe there are more suspects in this case.
*Portions of this story were assisted by artificial intelligence tools and reviewed by a WPTV journalist to ensure accuracy, clarity, and adherence to editorial standards.
