Residential Burglary Arrests X4

At about 12:45 PM today, Officers responded to a report of three males in a rear yard in the 400 blk of Cambridge. The reporting party heard glass breaking and thought the suspects were burglarizing the neighbors home. An additional witness observed a vehicle fleeing the area at a high rate of speed.

Officers initially detained a female in the vehicle and saw one of the possible suspects fleeing on foot in the area. A containment was set and yard searches were conducted by APD Officers with the assistance of Pasadena PD Airships, El Monte PD, West Covina PD and Pasadena PD K-9 units. One male suspect was taken into custody relatively quickly.

A short time later, a third witness related that one of the suspects was possibly in his home less than a block from the original call. After over 4 hours of searching, the two remaining suspects were located, hiding in a garage in the 300 blk of Cambridge. The original victim residence was found to have been burglarized.

All four suspects were booked at the Arcadia PD Jail on felony charges of suspicion of residential burglary.

"Tip A Cop" Tuesday

Arcadia Police Officers and Department Personnel will be participating in a "Tip A Cop" event this evening, at the Wood Ranch BBQ and Grill, located in the Westfield Shoppingtown, Santa Anita. The restaurant can be found on the east side of the mall. The event will run from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM. All tips will benefit the Special Olympics. Please stop by for dinner and help APD support this worthy cause!

For further information; contact Sergeant Brian Ortiz at (626) 574-5174.

Auto Burglary Arrest

At about 10:40 AM today, a resident on Diamond, east of Santa Anita, heard their vehicle alarm sounding. The resident looked out to find a young male Asian breaking into the resident's vehicle. The resident went out and gave chase to the subject who had broken a window on the car and fled with some of the resident's property. The resident gave chase and caught the subject in the 100 blk of Diamond, near First Avenue. The subject was detained until Officers arrived. A 17 year old male from Monterey Park was arrested on suspicion of auto burglary.

Burglary Interrupted

Last Friday, August 22nd, a resident neighbor in the 1500 blk of S. Third interrupted a burglary in progress at the front house on their lot. The neighbor had walked to the front house at about 2:20 PM and found two male, African Americans, ransacking the home. The suspects fled out the front door. There was apparently no loss at time of report.

This serves as a good reminder to be a good witness, don't attempt to detain suspects like this and call your local police immediately when you come upon something suspicious or a crime in progress.

Tuesday Tip - Reporting Internet Crime

With what seems to be a growing trend, the Internet is being used for all sorts of scams to try and separate you from your money. Aside from property loss crimes, technology like the Internet, cellular phones, PDA's and the like are being used for threats and intimidation.

We are lucky to have a dedicated Investigator for technology based crime in Arcadia. Many agencies do not have that resource and rely on the County or larger agencies for assistance. When you have been victimized by someone by use of the Internet or other technology, where do you turn? Conventional police reports are the obvious answer, but there is also web based assistance out there. Solutions, immediate answers or satisfaction may not occur, but sharing your incident helps build information databases and perhaps a small key to locating suspects that commit such crime.

Private sites, such as Consumer Fraud Reporting.Org have resources and information on web based crime as well as other traditional fraud crime. The FBI participates in a website dedicated to collecting Internet crime info called the Internet Crime Complaint Center. Take a look at these sites and search for information on topics that include tips to avoid becoming a victim of Internet based scams or crime.

Diamond Theft

Officers responded to Ben Bridge Jewelers at the Westfield Santa Anita Mall yesterday, on a grand theft having just occurred. A male suspect entered the store at about 1:40 PM, posing as a customer, asking to see some high end diamonds. After the clerk removed the diamonds from the case, the suspect snatched the diamonds from the counter and fled. The suspect made off in a grey colored, Ford Mustang. He was described as a 25-30 year old, African-American, wearing a long sleeved white shirt and dark pants.

If you witnessed the theft or have information on the suspect or suspect vehicle, please call APD Detectives at (626) 574-5160.

Residential Street Robbery

Friday morning, August 15th, at about 7:23 AM, two male suspects approached a woman in her driveway located in the 1200 block of Magnolia as she was getting into her car. The suspects grabbed the 59 year old victim’s purse, knocking her to the ground in the process. The suspects fled with the purse in a vehicle, only described as a green van. The victim suffered only minor injuries.

The suspects were described as male, Hispanic, 20-25 years old, 5’-08” medium build with dark hair.

As always, any information can be forwarded to APD Detectives at (626) 574-5160.

Robbery at Drive-In Liquor

Shortly before 2PM yesterday, a suspect entered Drive-In Liquor at Huntington and Santa Anita, threatening the clerk and demanding money. The suspect was unable to get the cash but fled with booze instead. Officers were unable to find the suspect or his partner who waited outside until the pair fled.

The primary suspect was described as male, Hispanic, 18 years old, thin build, wearing a white t-shirt. The second suspect was described as male, Hispanic, mid-thirties, medium build, wearing a black baseball cap, no shirt, and having a tattooed upper body.

Any information can be relayed to APD Detectives at (626) 574-5160.

Ballot Initiatives for Local POA's

The Baldwin Park Police Officers' Association filed paperwork with the City for ballot initiatives earlier this year. According to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, the BPPOA and their City are at odds over the validity of signatures on the submitted paperwork.

Are the problems in BP a look into the future in the City of Monrovia? The FC Blog posted an entry this morning that indicates the Monrovia Police Officers' Association has filed paperwork with similar intent to promote ballot initiatives guiding pay and public safety in Monrovia. This filing comes on the heals of the MPOA's heated contract dispute with the City and recent signing of an extended year contract.

"Goldilocks" of Arcadia - Not a Fairy Tale

Investigators have dubbed the Wachovia and Bank of the West robber, Goldilocks, due to the use of what apears to be a blond wig. KABC7 ran a story on the bank robberies HERE. One thing for certain, this Goldilocks (2008) is not just stealing some porridge or tormenting the three bears (1837).

Anyone with information on this suspect is asked to call the APD Detective Bureau at (626) 574-5160.

Crosswalk Safety Improvement

School and pedestrian safety is one of the most constantly discussed and visited topics by the City Traffic Advisory Committee.

Earlier this year, the TAC moved to upgrade one of the busiest school crossings in town, located near Dana Middle School. The crosswalk is on Santa Anita at Leroy. With recent roadway construction, it was a great time to install in-ground flashing lights and flashing LED signs at the crosswalk.

The lights are pedestrian activated and remain on for a given amount of time. The flashing lights in the roadway, combined with the flashing LED's on the signs draw much more attention the the potential crossing students or pedestrians.

The City installed overhead flashing lights and in-ground lights at a West Arcadia crosswalk on Duarte Road last year. The public reception has been positive and we believe that with the addition of these lighted crosswalks, the City is a step forward in pedestrian safety. The activation button delivers the message, "Cross With Caution". The message is appropriate as the lights do not guarantee that traffic will yield. It is still incumbent on the pedestrian to watch and only cross when safe to do so.

Young LASD Deputy Gunned Down August 2nd

A 27 year old, off-duty, Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff was shot to death in his Los Angeles area driveway early Saturday morning, August 2nd.

The LASD Blog has an entry devoted to the shooting and there were several news stories that covered the tragic incident.

Deputy Juan Escalante was laid to rest on Friday, August 8th. Rest in peace Deputy Escalante.

UPDATE, 12/14/08 - CrimeScene Blog is reporting two arrests have been made in the killing of Deputy Escalante.

Real Estate Scam Averted

Arcadia Police were alerted to a potential real estate scam and theft of money yesterday. The potential client/victim looked a little deeper into a property listed for rent on the Internet before handing over the money to the suspect. The victim found the actual real estate agent responsible for the property and learned that the Internet ad was fictitious. It appears that the suspect falsified an ad for a legitimate property for sale/rent and attempted to rent/lease the property to an unsuspecting victim. The suspect would have collected a cash payment from the victim prior to the move-in leaving the victim holding a loss and bogus agreement.

This type of scam has been in the news of late and folks looking for property to rent, buy or lease should be very sure of the legitimacy before handing over any form of payment. Read additional stories HERE and HERE.

Bank Robbery Suspect Sought

This suspect is wanted in connection with the Wachovia Bank robbery on July 18, 2008. Photos have not been obtained for the similar suspect in the Bank of the West robbery last week. The suspect is described as a male white wearing a blond wig, 40's, 5'08"/140 lbs carrying a black handgun. In both robberies, the suspect made off in a mid-size SUV, possibly red or orange.

Please call APD Detectives at (626) 574-5160 if you have any information.

Theft Turns to Robbery

Three male Hispanics participated in a theft at May's Department Store in the 100 blk of E. Live Oak shortly after 3:00 PM today. A struggle with an employee over the property turned this theft into a robbery and the suspects fled in a newer tan or light colored Chevrolet extended cab pick-up with "Power" paper plates. The suspects were described as being in their early 20's.

Any information can be relayed to APD Detectives at (626) 574-5160.

Tuesday Tip - Yield When Making Left Turns

Officers respond on many collisions involving vehicles making left turns. The majority of the time, the driver of the turning vehicle is found to be at fault. On multiple lane roadways, like that of Santa Anita Avenue, south of Huntington Drive, drivers make turns across several lanes of traffic to enter private property, a driveway or perhaps an alley. When a driver is making a left turn on a roadway, the California Vehicle Code requires that the driver yield right of way to vehicles approaching from an opposite direction. Yielding right of way would include vehicles approaching in adjacent lanes to perhaps stopped traffic that is allowing you to turn.

In the example area, there are four “lanes” of traffic for a turning vehicle to cross; a left turn lane, two thru lanes and a parking/right turn only lane. A driver turning left must yield, lane by lane to oncoming traffic. There may be associated factors in a collision such as speed of other vehicles, but the primary fault in this type of collision most often rests with the turning driver.

Take your time, make sure each lane is clear and watch out for yourself while driving.

Attempted Grand Theft

At about 3:45 PM on Friday, August 8th, two male Hispanics attempted to steal a woman's purse from her person in the Westfield Shoppingtown parking lot, south of Macy's. After the failed attempt, the pair ran off and were last seen in the area of Baldwin and Huntington. The suspects were described as being in their 20's, having "mohawk" style hair and wearing dark clothing.

Bank of the West Robbed

On Friday, August 8th, at about 10:00 AM, the Bank of the West in the 1100 blk of West Huntington Drive was robbed by a man displaying a handgun. The bandit was described as a male white with possibly a blond wig. The suspect made off in an SUV, N/B on Michillinda. The suspect description is similar to that of the suspect that robbed the Wachovia Bank in West Arcadia in July.

Theft Suspects Arrested

Last Tuesday morning, August 5th, a victim reported that her purse and belongings were taken from her vehicle while parked overnight in the 2200 blk of South Baldwin Avenue. She reported the loss of her credit cards immediately to her bank. The bank revealed that the cards were used locally at gas stations and a liquor store. Officers responded for follow-up at the Temple City liquor store and learned that the pair of suspects had just left the store before Officers arrived. Within minutes, the suspects were detained and arrested for use of the credit card. A 26 year old Temple City man and a 19 year old Alta Loma man were booked at APD.

This incident serves as a reminder to timely report your losses to not only the police, but also your credit card company or bank. Maintain account numbers and phone numbers to these companies in a place that is readily accessible in the event of a theft.

ID Theft Reminder

"Glendora Realtor Mom" gives an account on her blog of a recent event that serves as a good reminder to us all of the importance of keeping track of your belongings. She writes of leaving her purse on a chair at the Westfield Shoppingtown in Arcadia and returning to find it missing. Credit cards, money, social security cards etc, all inside the purse. With some luck, the culprits only made off with some cash, an AMEX card and ATM cards and abandoned the purse outside Nordstroms. There was still some potentially valuable information in the purse and it is not known if the thieves made use of it.

She thanks the Arcadia Police Officers for assisting her in the incident and that is what caught my attention, however, the event does serve as a real time reminder of what can happen to any of us at any time. Keep close watch on your belongings and always take care of purses, wallets and packs containing your credit cards, ID's, bank cards, house keys and other items with personal information on them. She offers some good advice on the topic at the end of her post.

100th Post

We hit the 100 post mark last week with the "Tuesday Tip - Blacked Out Signals" post. The blog has only been operating since April, so that seems like a fair mark to hit within four months. We have had almost 2,000 visits from people representing 22 different countries and over 3300 page views. The leading post remains the entry on the Santa Anita Canyon Fire authored back in April.

Thank you to everyone who has shared ideas or expressed interest in the APOA Info Blog, posted a link to us and to anyone who has taken a moment to read a post or two. A special thanks has to go out to the APOA Board for their support and backing as well!

I think that this small milestone has shown that the APOA Info Blog is a valuable tool in reaching out to our community and as an information sharing resource. The concept is new for us but I believe that we have accomplished some good with what we have represented so far!

Tuesday Tip - Blacked Out Signals

This last week saw a brief power outage in the City. With power outages come blacked out intersections and signals. California law is pretty straight forward for drivers coming upon inoperative signals at an intersection. Stop! If the signals are blacked out and not working, drivers must treat the intersection like a stop sign. CVC 21800(d)(1) is the section that governs inoperative signals. If there is a Police Officer directing traffic, you must proceed as directed. Otherwise, stop and proceed when safe to do so. Power outages, collision damage, storm related problems, equipment failure, all can contribute to a blacked out signal. Always be alert and watch ahead!