Crime Report: La Cañada mobile device sellers hit by quick-moving thieves

Nov. 15

Suspicious circumstances, possible grand theft: 2100 block of Tondolea Lane. A man reported someone took an undisclosed amount of money from a pocket in his pants overnight Aug. 8 to 9. He said he suspected a woman to whom he’d made several (unrepaid) loans and whom he’d allowed stay at his parents’ home when she needed shelter. He said they’d become acquainted last winter when he befriended her through a fundraising website set up for her sister’s funeral, and that since seeing her in early August he has only been in contact with her through Instagram.

Nov. 19

Grand theft: 800 block of Foothill Boulevard (AT&T Store). Two males described as black, one 6 foot 2 and the other 5 foot 10, were seen entering the store shortly before 3 p.m. through its north-facing door, grabbing cellphones from a display and exiting through the south-facing door. They escaped in a black Kia, possibly with Florida plates, which took off and turned northbound onto Angeles Crest Highway. Three cellphones were stolen and one was damaged.

Nov. 20

Grand theft: 500 block of Foothill Boulevard (T-Mobile) At about 3:50 p.m., three men, all described as black and being between 23 and 25 years old, were seen stealing one Apple iPhone and two Apple Watches, all fully activated, from the store. They climbed into a black car that took off southbound on Gould Avenue.

Identity theft: 4600 block of El Camino Corto. A man reported that at 3:13 p.m. he received an email from his bank saying a new access code had been granted. Neither he nor his wife had requested such a change for their joint account. He then received “several hundred” emails, according to the report, advising him of new credit accounts opened under his name, and learned a line of credit had been extended, none of which he’d sought. A bank representative told him that a female caller using a cellphone requested the access code change.

Nov. 21

Grand theft: 400 block of Foothill Boulevard. A woman reported a man stole her wallet from her purse when her attention was drawn away while she was grocery shopping. She noticed the man hiding something in his cart and recognized it as her wallet. She grabbed it back and confronted him. He apologized and moved away. When the victim cried out for help, the suspect, described as possibly Latino or Middle Eastern, fled the store.

Nov. 22

Burglary: 500 block of Inverness Drive. While dining in a restaurant at 9:32 p.m., a man received a call from his alarm company alerting him to a possible break-in through the French door in his master bedroom. He returned home at 9:45 p.m. and found the glass in the door shattered, apparently by someone using a brick from his garden. The master bedroom was ransacked, but not the rest of the house. The victim could immediately say that currency was taken, but needed to further inventory the property before reporting any other losses.