Police Blotter: Apartment Burglary, Petty Cash and iPod Thefts

Electronics, pricey shoes and purses stolen

Absent tenants and a front window left open to cool an empty apartment in the 1400 block of Manhattan Beach Boulevard were all it took to tempt a thief to take two 50-inch flat-screen TV’s, a desktop computer, an assortment of other electronics, as well as designer shoes and purses.

The incident took place between 6 p.m. on Jan. 28 and 11:30 the next morning when the woman who reported the incident returned to her apartment after spending the night at her mother’s house. She found her front door slightly ajar and the window completely open with the screen pushed in. Inside, the woman, whose husband had spent the night at a friend’s house, found empty spaces in the living room and bedroom where the missing items had been. In addition to the TVs and computer, the missing items included a Sony PlayStation 3 and games; about 100 Blu-ray discs; Louis Vuitton men’s shoes in assorted colors, size 11 ½ ; Gucci, Chanel and Louis Vuitton purses; a wallet, and a T-Mobile myTouch 3G cell phone.

Fingerprint dusting and the T-Mobile cellular phone tracking hotline turned up zero evidence. Neighbors were either not home or didn’t hear or see anything, according to the police report.

Shades, Northrop ID, iPods and cash lifted from autos

Sometime on Saturday, Jan. 29 or early the next day, vandals broke into vehicles in three separate incidents in Manhattan Beach.

In one case, a man parked his 2003 Ford Explorer in front of his residence in the 2900 block of Flournoy at 10:30 p.m. When he returned at 5 a.m., he found the contents of his open glove box scattered on his seat. Missing were two pairs of sunglasses (Ray-Ban and Bolle brands), two 35 mm film canisters with about $8 in quarters, and the man’s Northrop Grumman ID.

In another incident, in the 3000 block of Agnes Road, a resident parked his black 2010 GMC Denali in his driveway, also at around 10:30 p.m. on Jan. 29. He returning the next day about 1:30 p.m. to discover his glove box and center console open. Missing were two Apple iPod Touches and two one-dollar bills.  

At around 10 a.m. on that same Saturday, a woman parked her black 2011 Volvo on Grandview Avenue near Marine. Upon her return the next day, she noticed her glove box was open and a CD missing.

Police reports on the three incidents reference another file in which two suspects were arrested for stealing items from cars “in a similar timeframe.”

In another probably unrelated incident, a business owner in the 1300 block of Sepulveda reported that a maroon Volkswagen Vanagon belonging to a customer had had the window on the right-side sliding door shattered by a BB pellet fired by an unknown shooter. The car had been parked on the east side of the parking lot close to Sepulveda.

$240 taken from Live Oak Park Rec Office Safe

A locked safe proved no match for a thief, who removed $240 in petty cash from the tennis office at Live Oak Park. The theft occurred sometime between 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 27, when the recreational lead working the night shift locked the safe, and 6:30 a.m. the next day when the missing cash was discovered. There were no signs of forced entry. About 30 employees have keys to the tennis office and the combination to the safe, according to Jessica Vincent, park and recreational supervisor, who reported the incident.

Graffiti bandits tag Mira Costa Gym

On Jan. 21, police responded to a call from Mira Costa High School’s security lead officer, Ray Lee. Lee reported that unknown suspects had vandalized the gym the previous night. He later told Patch that vandals had spray-painted red and green graffiti in about eight different spots on the building’s exterior.

“It was probably kids, and it was cleaned up by the maintenance department immediately,” he said.

Ocean Pacific cruiser bike stolen

A red Ocean Pacific beach cruiser was stolen from an open garage of an apartment in the 600 block of Manhattan Beach Boulevard on Jan. 28 or 29. The 40-year-old owner had locked the bicycle to two others in the evening. Returning the next day, he found the cord had been cut, but only his bike was missing. The garage, shared with other tenants, doesn’t have a door.