Monrovia Police: More Thefts from Vehicles; Using Children as Shields; Gang Shooting? Alcohol Incidents

[Monrovia Police activities from the Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report for July 11–14. - Brad Haugaard]

Following are the weekend's highlighted issues and events.

Trespassing – Suspect Arrested

July 11 at 9:39 a.m., while on routine patrol, officers observed a subject loitering in the 300 block of West Huntington. A no-trespassing order had been signed due to this subject repeatedly loitering at the location. The suspect was arrested for trespassing.

Petty Theft – Suspect Arrested

July 11 at 11:02 a.m., a female suspect entered a business in the 900 block of West Foothill and took three bottles of liquor and left the store without paying. The business called the police, and the suspect was located and arrested.

Thefts From Unlocked Vehicles / Vehicle Burglaries – One Suspect Arrested

On July 12, police received numerous reports of thefts from unlocked vehicles and two vehicle burglary reports. Police are continuing to see a sudden increase in thefts from vehicles and vehicle burglaries throughout the City. In most of the incidents, the vehicles have been left unlocked. Suspect(s) are entering the vehicles during the late evening and morning hours and taking any items of value in the vehicles. It is unknown if the thefts are related.
On July 13, a suspicious subject was seen jumping over fences and running through backyards shortly after an in-progress theft from a vehicle was reported. Police responded and detained the subject. The investigation led to the recovery of some stolen property and the suspect was arrested. The investigation is continuing.

Theft From a Vehicle

July 12 at 10:48 p.m., officers responded to a restaurant parking lot in the 500 block of West Huntington regarding a theft from a vehicle. The victims parked their car at 9:45 p.m. and went in to eat. When they came out at 10:40 p.m., they found their vehicle had been ransacked. Their Bluetooth device and cell phone had been taken. The vehicle was left unlocked. Investigation continuing.

Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol – Suspect Arrested

July 13 at 2:10 a.m., an officer stopped a female subject who was driving in the 200 block of East Huntington at a high rate of speed. Through investigation, she was determined to be intoxicated and she was arrested for driving under the influence.

Drunk in Public

July 13 at 4:00 a.m., an officer located a female passed out in her vehicle parked in the 100 block of North Highland. She was unresponsive in the passenger seat. Paramedics were called and she was taken to a nearby hospital.

Child Endangerment / Human Shielding – Suspect Arrested

July 13 at 5:15 a.m., officers responded to the report of a female subject in the 100 block of Norumbega screaming for help. When they arrived, they heard what sounded like a person being hit and a male and female yelling at each other. They made contact with the female at the front door. She said she had not been hit or injured and she was yelling at her boyfriend, who was in his bedroom with their two children, a three and four year old. She said he had no weapons. The house was in disarray with feces on the walls, floors and on the children's bed.

The male subject refused to open his locked bedroom door and was yelling profanities at the officers to leave. The officers entered the bedroom to check on the welfare of the children and the male subject, since a domestic fight had just occurred. Upon entry, the intoxicated male grabbed the two children and used them as a shield to avoid being arrested. The children were secured and the subject was arrested without injury. The Department of Children and Family Services was notified and will be checking on the condition of the home.

Vehicle Burglary in Progress – Suspect Arrested

July 13 at 6:27 a.m., a female subject returned to her car and found a male subject sitting inside it. The suspect fled and she contacted the police. An area search was conducted and the suspect was spotted in the area. He fled from police and an extensive search was conducted, but the suspect was not found.

At 9:10 a.m., a resident reported seeing two juveniles jumping fences in the 400 block of Meadow Lane. One of the juveniles matched the description of the burglary suspect that ran from police earlier that morning. An area search was conducted and the two juveniles were located and detained, along with two other subjects that were with them.

The subject eventually admitted that he was, in fact, the person who ran from police earlier. He showed the officers where he hid the stolen merchandise, which was under a cactus plant in a ravine. Two additional victims surfaced later in the morning. The suspect had entered two other unlocked vehicles, and in both incidents had taken iPods that were left in the vehicles.

Driving Under the Influence – Suspect Arrested

July 14 at 2:18 a.m., an officer stopped a vehicle for vehicle code violations. The driver showed symptoms of intoxication. After an investigation, the driver was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Assault with a Deadly Weapon

On Sunday, July 14, 2013, at approximately 3:30 a.m. in the morning, a shooting victim arrived at the Arcadia Methodist Hospital. Hospital staff contacted the Monrovia Police Department. An officer arrived and handled the investigation.

The victim told the officer that he was driving in the area of Mountain and Royal Oaks when a subject pulled up in a vehicle next to him, asked him "where are you from" then shot at him, striking him in the shoulder. He drove to a nearby friend's house, and the friend drove him to the emergency room. Police personnel arrived in the area and located evidence that confirmed the shooting.

The suspect is described as a light-skinned male black in his mid-to-late 20's with short black hair, driving an older-model blue Lexus or Toyota, with aftermarket halogen headlamps.

The victim had a non-life-threatening wound and was released within hours of the incident. The victim is not a gang member and is not affiliated with any gang. The investigation will be assigned to the Detective Bureau and is currently ongoing.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the Monrovia Police Department Detective Bureau.

Residential Burglary

July 14 at 6:51 p.m., an officer responded to the 200 block of North Canyon regarding a burglary. The victim came home after being away for the weekend and discovered someone had broken into their home. The investigation is continuing.

Resisting and Delaying a Peace Officer / Drunk in Public – One Suspect Arrested

July 14 at 11:07 p.m., an officer was in the area of Shamrock and Monrovista when he observed a vehicle code violation and attempted a traffic stop on the vehicle. The vehicle pulled over and the driver and two passengers immediately fled on foot. The officer detained two additional passengers in the vehicle, while responding officers searched for the three outstanding suspects. The Foothill Air Support Team helicopter responded to help in the search. The subjects were not found.

The officer was able to determine the identity of the driver and he will be charged with resisting and delaying a peace officer. One of the detained occupants was intoxicated and was arrested for public intoxication. The vehicle's registration was expired for over one year and it was stored. The investigation is continuing.