Photo by Marty Caivano

Aaron Duran describes how the burglar who tried to break into his truck Wednesday night was clawing him while Duran held him in a headlock. Duran heard the man breaking into his vehicle from inside a friend's house and gave chase.

Boulder police have arrested three men suspected of contributing to a rash of recent vehicle break-ins, and are searching for another suspected thief accused of slashing a man who ran after him.

Kevin Perkins, 31, Ryan Kitlitz, 22, and Jeffrey Baumgartner, 20, are all suspected of breaking into vehicles Wednesday and Thursday.

Perkins was arrested after being chased down by a man whose truck was burglarized late Wednesday, and an undercover police officer arrested Kitlitz and Baumgartner in a separate incident early Thursday. The officer said he saw them breaking into several cars in the area of Sixth Street and Cedar Avenue.

A fourth suspect is being sought by police after attacking a man who chased after him for breaking into his car early Wednesday.

Police said the incidents are not related to a July 21 string of at least 15 vehicle break-ins, but that people seem to be paying more attention.

“We need to continue to have people’s eyes and ears open to what’s going on,” said Sarah Huntley, police spokeswoman.

‘Hey man, is that my backpack?’

Aaron Duran, 33, of Boulder, said he was inside a friend’s house near Seventh and North streets at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday when he heard a noise and went outside to find a man strolling away, carrying his backpack and laptop.

Both items had been inside Duran’s 1991 Toyota 4Runner, he said.

“I said, ‘Hey man, is that my backpack?” Duran recalled Friday.

The man replied that it was not, but Duran followed and confronted him. When the man refused to hand it over, Duran said he slapped him.

“He rolled with the punch and started to run,” Duran said.

Duran said he “acted on instinct” and ran the man down, eventually catching him and putting him in a headlock.

“I hit him in the nose with my knee pretty good,” Duran said. “There were drops of blood all over the pavement.”

The man fought back, clawing at Duran’s hand with his fingernails and prying himself out of the headlock — Duran still has the scratch marks to prove it.

Duran called police, who arrested Perkins shortly after the fight on suspicion of first-degree criminal trespass and theft. He was released on a $1,500 bond Thursday night, officials said.

Reached by phone Friday, Perkins — who was released on a $1,500 bond Thursday — denied any involvement in the alleged break-in.

“I was just walking down the street and someone tackled me,” he said.

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Man injured in separate chase

Just 10 hours earlier, another man who confronted a suspect ended up with multiple stitches to show for his efforts.

In that case, the victim told police he saw a man attempting to steal something from a car parked in a driveway in the 1100 block of Sixth Street at about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.

The victim chased the man and eventually cornered him by a trash can in the 600 block of Marine Street. There, the suspect pulled a sharp object and slashed the man who chased him down, according to a police report.

Police are looking for the suspect, who fled before police were contacted.

He is described as a white or Hispanic male, 18 to 25 years old, with short brown hair and a thin frame. He was wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans.

Anyone with more information about the incident or the suspect can call Detective Aimee LaClaire at 303-441-3333.

Huntley, the police spokeswoman, said officers generally recommend against confronting suspected criminals.

“We’re always concerned when a citizen or community member gives chase,” she said. “We usually ask people to get the best information they can and call us right away.”