Crime Report: 3 theft suspects case LCF grocery store, steal wallet and try to buy gift cards in La Crescenta
Dec. 10
Burglary, vehicle: 1100 block of Fairview Drive. A woman told deputies sometime between 11:30 p.m. the day before and 8 a.m. that morning, someone smashed the front passenger side window of her locked 2018 Honda Odyssey and stole a black CD case containing multiple discs and two pairs of headphones. The victim said she was contacted by a neighbor, who’d noticed her mailbox was open and her mail scattered all over the street. She was uncertain whether any mail had been stolen during the incident.
Dec. 11
Grand theft, over $950: 3900 block of Hampstead Road. A woman reported that on Dec. 7 at around noon, she placed a paper envelope containing cash inside her wallet, which she then placed in her purse. She left the purse in the bedroom of her daughter’s home, where she was staying after selling her own home in Glendale. On Dec. 10 at around 4 p.m., she noticed the envelope was missing from her purse, although no other items seemed to have been disturbed. She told deputies the only people who’d been inside the location at that time were her daughter, son-in-law, granddaughter and a housekeeper, all of whom denied taking the money.
Dec. 17
Conspiracy to commit a crime; theft by access card; petty theft: 500 block of Foothill Boulevard. A woman told deputies she’d been shopping in the frozen food section of a grocery store at around 2:30 p.m. when she placed her purse with her wallet inside in her shopping cart. As she was shopping, she noticed an adult male of Armenian or Latino descent wearing a white shirt walking near her cart. He asked her where the ice cream was kept, and the woman turned away from her cart to point out the right freezer case. When she turned back around, the man was gone. Later, while checking out, she noticed her wallet, which contained her driver’s license and some bank cards, had been stolen. At around 3:03 p.m., the woman got a text message from Bank of America indicating an unknown person had attempted to use her credit card at a location on the 2600 block of Foothill in La Crescenta, and that the purchase was declined. The victim canceled all her cards. The store’s surveillance footage showed a man with black hair wearing a shirt with “Miami” on the front and the number 5 on the back take the victim’s wallet from her purse while she was looking into the freezer section. The man placed the wallet in his pocket and left the location. Deputies observed two more adult males wearing dark clothing shadowing the victim before the theft. They also left the store without purchasing items. At the La Crescenta retail location, an electronic transaction journal showed an unknown person at 3:02 making a purchase. The suspect was later identified as a male adult of Armenian or Latino descent wearing a blue polo shirt with Los Angeles in white on the front and the number 3 on the back. A second man attempted to purchase two shaken tea and gift cards with a card with the same last four digits as the victim’s card. Deputies determined the two men in the store were lookouts for the man who stole the wallet, who later gave the second suspect the stolen card to make the fraudulent purchases.
Vandalism; 2100 block of Lyans Drive. A woman told deputies that sometime between 1 p.m. the previous Wednesday and 2:30 p.m. that day someone damaged the front driver’s side door handle and lock of her 2014 Ford Fusion while it was parked near her residence. Deputies observed that despite the damage, the vehicle appeared to be undisturbed.
Dec. 18
Burglary, residence: 300 block of Georgian Road. Deputies responded to a burglary alarm call at around 7:14 p.m. and noticed a window at the rear of the residence was smashed in, though nothing inside the house appears to have been disturbed. Contacted by phone, the homeowner said he was out of town through Dec. 30 but would make plans to secure the window. A neighbor on the same block told deputies he has 17 surveillance cameras outside his home that may have recorded some portion of the incident.
Compiled by Sara Cardine
Twitter: @SaraCardine
