Alleged Lingerie Thief Hung Out to Dry by Neighbors

A man who allegedly went on a pre-dawn panty raid in Koreatown was jailed Sunday morning, after neighborhood residents chased him down and held him for police.

Bruno Tijunait, 46, was booked on suspicion of theft, a misdemeanor, Los Angeles Police Sgt. Paul Von Lutzow said. Tijunait was being held in lieu of $250 bail.

Evidence was easy to come by, the sergeant said. The culprit left a trail of women’s lingerie along the 1600 block of South Catalina Street, where he dropped several undergarments trying to escape the clutches of angry neighbors chasing him through the yards of their apartment buildings.

Tijunait was apparently headed back to his BMW, where officers said they found a stash of 48 undergarments and one skirt on the back seat.

Some “evidence” was immediately returned to its owners, Von Lutzow said, but “we booked some underwear” as evidence. “I guess he collects them.”

It was about 4:30 a.m. when a resident caught Tijunait snatching panties, bras and other assorted undergarments off back yard clotheslines, police said.

The witness called for help and “some of the neighbors came out,” Von Lutzow said. Four men took off on the suspect’s trail, catching him and pinning him to the ground until police arrived.