Motive revealed after man stole plane in Palo Alto, landed on Half Moon Bay beach
HALF MOON BAY, Calif. (KRON) — Why did a homeless man allegedly steal a private plane in Palo Alto, fly it over a coastal mountain range, and land on a sandy beach in Half Moon Bay? On Wednesday, the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office revealed a motive behind the bizarre crime.
Luiz Gustavo Aires, 50, told investigators he wanted to “show the government that airports lack proper security,” the DA’s Office wrote.
When Aires made his first court appearance for an arraignment on Tuesday, he told the judge that his real name is “Sunrock.”
Aires, aka “Sunrock,” slipped through a gap in Palo Alto Airport’s perimeter fence on February 8. The metal fence appeared to have been cut open by someone.
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Aires was able to start the 1960s American Champion plane’s single engine without a key and takeoff, prosecutors said. After going on a high-flying joy ride, he chose a long sandy beach as a landing strip. Videos shot by witnesses show the plane making a relatively smooth landing between Poplar and Redondo beaches.
Aires told investigators that he grew up in Brazil and learned how to fly there. His last known home address is in Miami, Florida.
The plane, worth $150,000, “was not seriously damaged,” prosecutors wrote. Several people were on the beach when the plane came down, and no one was injured. Aires hopped out of the plane before deputies nabbed him on the beach.
“Been doing this almost 20 years, and this is a first for me,” remarked San Mateo County Sheriff’s Sgt. Javier Acosta.
The man accused of stealing this plane in Palo Alto and landing it on a sandy Half Moon Bay beach pleaded not guilty. Luiz Gustavo Aires also told the judge that his real name is "Sunrock."
(Video courtesy San Mateo County Sheriff's Office) pic.twitter.com/GDQgaldLec— Amy Larson (@AmyLarson25) February 14, 2024
Deputies searched Aires’ backpack and found identification for three other people. Prosecutors charged him with identity theft and stealing an airplane. On Wednesday, Aires pleaded not guilty to all charges.
“Sunrock” told Judge Rebecca Woodson that he wished to represent himself in court without an attorney. Woodson “questioned the defendant on his education and background and denied the motion to represent himself.”
The judge set Aires’ bail at $10,000, and he remained in custody as of Wednesday morning. A preliminary hearing is set for February 21 at 1:30 p.m. in the San Mateo County Hall of Justice.
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