[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for December 29 – January 4, 2015. - Brad Haugaard]
Following are the weekend’s highlighted issues and events.
Vehicle Repair Scams
December 29 at 1:13 p.m., an elderly male subject came to the police station to report being the victim of a scam. The victim parked in a handicap stall at a business in the 600 block of West Huntington. He was approached by a male white subject who claimed the victim hit something with his vehicle. The suspect said he could fix the problem. He reached under the dash and said a computer part was burned out. He convinced the victim to withdraw $400 from the bank kiosk in the parking lot. Once the victim handed the suspect the cash, the suspect fled.
This is the third incident that has been investigated with a similar suspect description and involving elderly victims and car repair scams. The two additional cases occurred in Arcadia. The suspect approached elderly females in parking lots and told them they had a wobbly front tire. The suspect attempted to dupe the victims into handing over large sums of money for the vehicle repairs. The two victims refused and reported the incidents to a local repair shop that, in turn, reported the incidents to police. The investigations are continuing.
Indecent Exposure
December 29 at 2:50 p.m., a female subject was at the library in the 300 block of South Myrtle Avenue. She was seated at a desk in a rear corner cubicle. A male subject walked up to the cubicle and mumbled something toward her. She did not understand what he was saying and continued to study. A few minutes passed and she looked up again. She now saw the male subject standing in the book aisle between the book cases, and he was masturbating. After seeing the suspect, she stood up and walked to the front counter and called the police. Officers arrived and searched the area for the suspect, but he was not located. The suspect is described as a male white, early to mid 30s, approximately 6'1" to 6'2" tall, thin build, clean cut, bleached blond buzz haircut, with a small earring stud in his left ear. He was wearing a light gray sweater and possibly carrying a backpack. The investigation is continuing.
Vehicle Burglary
December 30 at 5:23 a.m., a vehicle burglary was reported in the 200 block of West Walnut. The victim parked and locked her car in her assigned parking space at about 6:00 p.m. She returned to her vehicle early the next morning and noticed a window had been smashed. A carry-on bag was stolen from the front seat, which contained $30.00 in rolled coins in plastic wrappers. The investigation is continuing.
Vehicle Burglary
December 30 at 9:41 a.m., officers responded to the report of a vehicle burglary in the 300 block of South Primrose. They arrived and found the driver side door of the vehicle unlocked and no sign of forced entry. Several items were missing from the vehicle. The surrounding area was searched and some of the stolen items were located inside a dumpster. They were returned to the victim. The investigation is continuing.
Stolen Vehicle Recovered
December 30 at 12:52 p.m., an officer on patrol noticed a vehicle that was parked irregularly in the 800 block of South Primrose. He ran a computer check on the license plate and discovered it was stolen out of Pasadena. The vehicle had been stripped. A rubber glove was found inside the vehicle. The owner said it was not in the vehicle when it was stolen on December 29. The vehicle had been left unlocked with the keys in the ignition when it was stolen.
Grand Theft Auto
December 30 at 11:33 p.m., a vehicle was reported stolen from a residence in the 1100 block of Starlit Lane. The resident had a party where alcohol was served. All guests that drove to the party were required to put their car keys in a basket, but the basket was not secured. After the party, the owner of one of the vehicles noticed her car was gone and reported her car stolen to police. The next morning, the Los Angeles Police Department located the car and it had been crashed. The investigation is continuing.
Strong-arm Robbery – Suspect Arrested
December 31 at 6:00 p.m., police responded to the report of a strong-arm robbery that occurred in the area of Fifth Avenue and Duarte Road. The victim was riding his skateboard on the sidewalk and listening to his headphones. He heard something behind him and stopped and took off his headphones. A male subject who claimed to be in a gang told him he wanted his wallet and valuables. The victim stumbled back off his skateboard and the suspect grabbed his headphones. The victim’s wallet fell out of his pocket as he fell and the suspect grabbed it, too, and ran. An officer arrived and located the suspect in the area. The victim was able to identify the suspect and he was arrested and taken into custody.
Residential Burglary
January 1 at 6:52 a.m., a residential burglary was reported in the 100 block of North May. Sometime between 6:00 p.m. on December 31 and 5:00 a.m. on January 1, unknown suspect(s) entered the victim's unlocked, detached garage. The suspect(s) took ten $2.00 bills and left undetected. The investigation is continuing.
Residential Burglary
January 1 at 10:58 a.m., the victim of a residential burglary reported that sometime overnight unknown suspect(s) entered her home in the 100 block of North Canyon through a bedroom window. The suspect(s) took the victim's purse from a room and left undetected through the front door. The victim believes she was at home sleeping during the burglary. She found the latch broken on the bedroom window and the front door left unlocked. The investigation is continuing.
Manufacturing Synthetic Marijuana
January 1 at 8:10 p.m., officers responded to assist the Monrovia Fire Department on a residential structure fire in the 100 block of Fig. Evidence at the scene led the fire fighters to believe the location was being used to manufacture some form of drug. The initial indication is that the suspect was attempting to manufacture a synthetic form of marijuana. A lit cigarette caused the solution to ignite, burning the suspect's face and hands. The suspect was treated at a hospital for the burns. The investigation was turned over to the Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Task Force (LA IMPACT) for location cleanup and possible prosecution.
Residential Burglary
January 2 at 1:21 p.m., a family returned to their house in the 100 block of North May Avenue after a three day holiday vacation and discovered their house had been burglarized. A men's bicycle and an Xbox video game console was taken. It is unknown how the suspects entered the home, as there were no signs of forced entry. It is possible the victims may have left a rear door unlocked. The investigation is continuing.
Driving Under the Influence – Suspect Arrested
January 3 at 6:07 p.m., police responded to the area of Duarte and Encino regarding a female driver observed striking several parked cars with her vehicle. She was located at Encino and third in Arcadia. The driver was positively identified by witnesses. She was determined to be driving under the influence and was arrested.
Grand Theft Auto
January 4 at 1:06 p.m., a female victim called police to report her vehicle had been stolen. The vehicle was taken from a hotel parking lot in the 700 block of West Huntington Drive. The vehicle is a 1998 Honda Civic and was taken sometime overnight. The investigation is continuing.
Commercial Burglary
January 4 at 11:45 p.m., police received an alarm activation at a business in the 300 block of West Huntington Drive. Officers arrived and found the back door of the business open. Additional resources were requested to help search the location for suspects. Arcadia Police Department officers, the Glendora Police Department canine officer and the Foothill Air Support helicopter responded to assist. The location was searched, but no suspects were located. A large quantity of cigarette cartons was stolen. The investigation is continuing.
