Three San Francisco residents were arrested in downtown Palo Alto on Tuesday night and charged with smashing and burglarizing cars after they were allegedly caught acting suspiciously by plainclothes officers who were patrolling a High Street garage in the aftermath of a burglary spree.

Palo Alto police arrested Shane Springer, 43, Oleg Nevidomyy, 23, and a woman, 21, on multiple charges relating to burglary and drug possession after stopping the vehicle they were in and finding stolen items, heroin and syringes. Police made the arrest minutes after the car, a 2004 Lincoln Navigator, was spotted by plainclothes officers in a parking stall on the second floor of the garage, known as Lot "R." The officers were driving an unmarked car and were specifically on the lookout for burglaries, about 45 of which have occurred in this garage over the past six months.

The officers became suspicious when a man next to the Navigator appeared startled and tried to look busy upon seeing the officers cruise by. Though there was no shattered glass or any other disturbances in the area, the officers took down the Navigator's license plate and proceed to patrol upper levels of the garage. When the officers returned less than 10 minutes later, they saw that the Navigator was gone, that a car parked two stalls away had a broken rear window on the passenger side and that there was shattered glass on the ground, according to a police statement. They broadcast the information about the Navigator over the police radio, triggering a search for the car.

The Navigator was spotted several minutes later on the 200 block of Lytton Avenue. Police detained the three people in the car and searched the vehicle, where they found a window-punching tool, a briefcase and a duffle bag, police said. Officers also learned that two locked vehicles on the second floor of the garage, a 2012 Ford Escape and a 2006 Subaru Impreza, had just been burglarized after someone smashed their windows. Police said the bag and the briefcase contained electronics and cash. They were positively identified by the victims and returned to them, police said.

Officers also found heroin and syringes in the Navigator. The three suspects were booked to the Santa Clara Main Jail and charged with five felonies — two counts of auto burglary, possession of stolen property, possession of narcotics and conspiracy to commit a crime — and two misdemeanors, possession of a burglary tool and possession of drug paraphernalia. Police are also now investigating whether the three are in any way connected with the other burglaries that have occurred in the prominent downtown garage between University and Hamilton avenues. Charges were dropped against the woman.

Anyone with information about this incident can contact our 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent by text message or voice mail to 650-383-8984.

Editor's note: This article has been edited to remove the name of the woman who was arrested; the case against her was dismissed. Read Embarcadero Media's policy on removal of content.