Crime Blotter - March 30, 2011

Area 1: 2000 block of Altura Ave: A man reported that the catalytic converter on his Toyota 4 Runner was stolen from the vehicle while it was parked in front of his home between 10 p.m. on March 26 and 11 a.m. the next day. A woman who had parked her Toyota pickup on the 2300 block of Florencita Avenue also reported her catalytic converter stolen during the same time period. Both losses were valued at $800 each.

2800 block of Foothill Blvd: Deputies responding to a call that a man was refusing to leave the Up the Hill bar arrested 28-year-old Mario Argueta of Tujunga at 9:25 p.m. on March 27, charging him with public intoxication after Argueta refused to take a taxi home. Argueta was initially transported to Verdugo Hills Hospital to treat a cut to his forehead sustained after he fell to the ground trying to enter a patrol vehicle under his own power, having refused the deputy’s assistance.

4300 block of Ocean View Blvd: A woman reported finding a window screen pried open in a possible attempt to burglarize her home between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. on March 23. Nothing was reported missing.

2300 block of Mountain Ave: A wheelbarrow, battery charger and hand truck were stolen from a storage shed at Mountain Avenue Elementary School between 11 p.m. on March 23 and 6:30 a.m. the next day. The loss was valued at $295, and $200 in damage was done to the shed.

Foothill Blvd. and Briggs Ave: Damon Jones, 44 of La Crescenta, was arrested on suspicion of public intoxication at 8:10 p.m. on March 23 after a deputy found him lying on a sidewalk near the intersection unable to stand.

4300 block of La Crescenta Ave: A family returned home at 8 p.m. March 22 to find their home was broken into through a smashed window. Dresser drawers had been ransacked, but nothing appeared to be missing.

2600 Altura Ave: A woman reported that a rear window of her 2004 Scion was smashed just between 10 a.m. and noon on March 22 while it was parked on the street. Nothing appeared to be missing.

Area 2

4400 block of Rockland Pl: A Magellan GPS device valued at $250 was stolen from a 2005 Hyundai Accent after the front driver’s side window was smashed sometime between 9 p.m. on March 28 and 6:30 a.m. the next day.

2100 block of Foothill Blvd: Hyun Soo Kwon, 20 of Glendale, was arrested at 11:30 a.m. on March 28 at Lotte Market on suspicion of shoplifting a cooked Korean yam and jar of curry sauce valued together at $7.46. Kwon, who said she could not explain why she had attempted to steal the items, had been arrested previously in Glendale for a similar incident.

Foothill Blvd. and La Granada Way: A Luis Vuitton purse and wallet containing a camera, Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses and $650 in cash was stolen from a 2007 Chevy Tahoe between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. on March 26 after the driver’s-side window was smashed. The total loss was valued at $2,250.

4800 Alminar Ave.: A homeowner reported the attempted burglary of his home after discovering his back door had been damaged by someone trying to pry it open. The incident occurred between 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. on March 25. Nothing was missing from the home, but damage to the door was assessed at $750.

Starlight Mesa Lane and Starlight Crest Dr: A lawnmower and leaf-blower were reported stolen from a Starlight Mesa Homeowners Association equipment shed sometime between 4 p.m. on March 18 and 7 a.m. March 22. The door to the locked shed had been pried open. The tools, valued together at $400, belonged to a private landscaper.

4800 block of Palm Dr: A woman reported her company-issued 60-gallon trash can missing from her curb on March 21. Its estimated value is $100.

400 block of Knight Way: A pair of speakers valued at $275 each were reported stolen from an area the Paradise Canyon Elementary School cafeteria. According to a crime report filed March 21, the speakers disappeared sometime between Feb. 25 and March 12.

Area 3

1100 block of Descanso Dr: A 2003 Toyota Tacoma was reported stolen sometime between 4 p.m. on March 25 and noon on March 27 while parked in the victim’s driveway.