MAN HUNT: Burglar Loose after Thefts in Scotts Valley, Soquel and Watsonville

Police are looking for a man who stole a license plate Monday and broke into at least two houses Tuesday.

Around 2 p.m., a man at his Soquel Home on North Rodeo Gulch Road and found an intruder in the house. The suspect pointed a gun at the man, ran out and got into a silver Lexus and drove away.

The Soquel man chased the Lexus on foot, throwing objects at the car and breaking multiple windows, Deputy April Skalland said.

The Lexus was adorned with a California exempt license plate, which was stolen from a Watsonville firefighter on Monday.

CHP officers and sheriff's deputies set up a perimeter in the area to try to catch the thief in the Lexus. Forty minutes later another 911 call came in from a couple who arrived home at Hall Ranch Road just northeast of Scotts Valley, reporting that the Lexus was in their driveway, but that their blue 1997 Ford Explorer had been stolen.

According to Skalland, it is unclear if the license plate thief also made off with anything from the Soquel or Hall Ranch Road homes that he broke into.

A reverse 911 call was sent to residents within the areas of the break-ins to alert them of the incident.

The Explorer license plate is California 3TIC192. The suspect is described as a 5'5" white man wearing a beanie and a sport coat. Anyone with information about the string of incidents should contact the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office at 831-454-2311, or the anonymous tip line at 831-454-2847.