In California, auto burglary happens when someone enters a locked automobile or its trunk, with the intent to:

• steal the car (also known as “grand theft auto”),
• steal property contained in the car (i.e., commit the California crime of petty theft or grand theft ), or
• commit any other California felony inside the vehicle.

Burglary of an automobile is a subset of the general crime of burglary under Penal Code 459 PC.

The California auto burglary law does not cover the simple act of breaking into someone else’s locked car. A car break-in is only considered auto burglary if the person intended to commit a theft of the vehicle or property inside of it, or the person intended to commit some other felony inside the vehicle.

Auto burglary can be charged as a misdemeanor or a felony.

If you are charged with auto burglary as a misdemeanor, the maximum penalty will be imprisonment in county jail for up to one 1 year.

If you are charged with auto burglary as a felony, the jail sentence may be 16 months, 2 years, or three 3 years.

If you have been charged with Auto Burglary, the Law Office of William Daley can help. Call us at (619) 238-1905 for a free consultation.