Teen Held in 2 Foiled Break-Ins at Apartments

A 15-year-old Lake Elsinore boy broke into two apartments Thursday night in Fullerton but was foiled when residents of both happened to be on the phone and were able to notify police, authorities said.

About 7 p.m., the youth, whose name is being withheld because of his age, broke into an apartment in the 2600 block of Andover Avenue and held up the three residents, police said.

At the time, they were on the phone with a friend in Brea, who hung up and called police, Fullerton Police Lt. Tony Hernandez said.

The youth took a little cash, but he dropped a small safe and his gun when he fled the apartment as officers were surrounding the building, police said.

He broke into another apartment in the same building, but the woman there also was on the phone, with a police dispatcher who was telling her to lock her doors, Hernandez said.

The woman then persuaded the teen to let her leave, police said. But the youth remained inside her apartment another two hours before SWAT officers caught him trying to escape, police said.

He was booked on suspicion of armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon, police said.