Crime & Safety
Police Blotter: Pedaling Pilferer, Smoking Soda Bottle
A man steals a bike from R.E.I., and a resident discovers a burned bottle of soda in his mailbox.
Ride out of R.E.I.
Two people at R.E.I. told police that they saw a man steal a bicycle and ride it out of the store July 30. The witnesses said they saw a man wearing a long brown shirt, dark jeans and a black helmet slowly ride a bicycle to the front of the store. As the suspect approached the doorway, he pedaled faster, the witnesses told police. One of the witnesses said that he tried to grab the suspect but missed and then ran after the thief, but he could not catch up to him. The witnesses reportedly saw the suspect riding through the parking lot and southbound on Aviation Boulevard. Upon an inventory check, R.E.I. employees discovered three bicycles missing and told police that any of those could be the stolen one.
Sizzled Sprite bottle
Police responded to a report of vandalism July 31 on the 1600 block of 2nd Street. The victim told police that he heard an explosion while he was at home. When he walked outside, the victim said he saw that his front yard mailbox was damaged. Inside the box was a burned two-liter Sprite bottle, police reported. The victim told police that he did not know who targeted him. Police reported no damage to the home.
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Fender bent
Police reported damage to a squad car Aug. 1. A man with a high intoxication level, according to police, flagged down an officer and told him that he had seen another man in "beachy" clothing kick the officer's car. Police searched the area for a suspect but did not find a match to the description from the witness. When the targeted officer returned to the car after speaking with the witness, he saw a dent with shoe prints on the front fender.
Razor robber
Gardena police arrested a man July 23 on suspicion of stealing razors from the Gardena Target store. Police included in the report that the same man was caught on surveillance video July 5 stealing two packages of razors from the Manhattan Beach Target store.
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Aug. 2 thefts
A blue SUV was stolen at 4005 Crest Drive.
A laptop computer was taken from a locked office suite on the 1200 block of Morningside Drive. Entry was made by bodily force, police reported.
Jewelry was stolen from a home on the 300 block of 15th Street, including a gold diamond-studded watch and two David Yurman bracelets.
