MBPD Apprehends Suspected Thief

A transient suspected of attempting to open the doors of cars parked in driveways in an MB neighborhood was arrested Tuesday and charged with possession of stolen property, petty theft and vehicle tampering, said Stephanie Martin of the Manhattan Beach Police Department.

Keith Whittington, 22, whose last known address is Colinswood, NJ, was apprehended by police after running from the 1100 block of 18th Street to hide behind a business in the 1700 block of North Sepulveda Boulevard.

The incident began Tuesday around 6:30 a.m. when police responded to a call of a suspicious male attempting to open doors of cars parked in private driveways. When confronted, Whittington allegedly ran through the neighborhood and another witness followed.

Whittington was positively identified by a witness as being the same subject who was seen attempting to open the car doors, said Martin.

Police believe he was also involved in a 3:45 a.m. theft in the 3600 block of Laurel Avenue Tuesday.

In that instance, a man was seen attempting to open a car; he ran westbound on 36th Street when the vehicle alarm sounded. Police were not able to locate the subject, however, when apprehended, Whittington had a GPS unit that had been stolen from a car parked in the 3600 block of Laurel.

In addition, six recent calls of vehicle related thefts in MB are believed to be connected to Whittington, said Martin. 

When interviewed by detectives, Whittington admitted to committing approximately 10 thefts from vehicles during the early morning hours. He also admitted to committing similar thefts in El Segundo, Hawthorne and Torrance in the last three to four months.

MBPD advises residents to lock their vehicles and not leave valuables in them, particularly not in plain sight.

For more information about how you can play a role in preventing crime, contact MBPD's Crime Prevention at (310) 802-5186 or Neighborhood Watch at (310) 802-5183.