DNA evidence leads police to second suspect in La Crescenta serial vehicle burglaries from January
Authorities have arrested a second suspect in connection with a series of vehicle burglaries that occurred in La Crescenta earlier this year where thieves broke into at least 30 cars.
Raymond Gardner, a 26-year-old Ontario resident, was arrested by the Glendale Police Department this week for his suspected involvement in a series of vehicle break-ins that took place around Jan. 31 in the 3000 block of Montrose and 3900 block of Pennsylvania avenues.
Sgt. Dan Suttles, a department spokesman, said DNA evidence left at the scene linked Gardner to the crimes.
The other suspect, 20-year-old Andrew Cordia from West Covina, was arrested back in February.
According to police, Gardner and Cordia had entered a multi-unit garage overnight in the area and proceeded to smash the windows of several cars in order to steal items from inside.
At least three people were caught on camera committing the burglaries.
The trio also stole two vehicles from the area.
Despite the DNA evidence identifying Gardner as a suspect, Suttles said he wasn’t arrested immediately.
“When you get a DNA hit, it’s just not enough to get a guy,” Suttles said. “You have to do some investigative follow-up.”
Besides the vehicle break-ins in La Crescenta, officers eventually came upon two other cases that allegedly involved Gardner.
One case involved a theft from a car where a DNA sample left behind at the scene came back as a match for Gardner, according to Suttles.
The other case involved another car theft where a stolen credit card was used at a restaurant’s drive-through window. Suttles said surveillance footage from the restaurant showed Gardner as the suspect.
He was tracked down on Oct. 31 to a home in Covina, where officers were able to see him looking out from a window. When officers contacted the home’s occupants, they denied he was there. However, a search of the residence led police to Gardner, and he was taken into custody.
Twitter: @Andy_Truc
