Crime Report: Couple visiting La Cañada home robbed at gunpoint in midday crime

Dec. 10

Petty theft and theft by access card: 4400 block of Commonwealth Ave. A man left his wallet in the side door panel of his pickup truck while it was parked unlocked in his driveway between 12:30 and 1:30 p.m. He realized the wallet had been stolen after receiving a 2:42 p.m. bank alert that one of his credit cards had been used by someone attempting a purchase at Ralphs.

Burglary and forgery: 4500 block of Castle Road. A woman reported that sometime between 4 and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, someone entered her home and burglarized it while she was out. She received a call from her husband that evening, who said surveillance from their Ring video doorbell system showed three males walking along their driveway. She was afraid to return home after learning there might have been intruders. She eventually returned to the house on Monday, Dec. 10, to find a window and back door open. A responding deputy found drawers open throughout the home. The victim said a ring with a 3.5 carat diamond, surrounded by smaller diamonds, was missing. She could not immediately identify what else might be gone. She also reported that on Nov. 21 someone had duplicated a check she’d written to a friend and withdrawn funds from her bank account. Asked why she waited until December to report it, she said it was because her bank had placed the matter under investigation.

Identity theft: 800 block of Valley Crest Street. A UPS driver told a resident that a Middle Eastern man had approached him between 4:40 and 5:30 p.m. that day asking him for a package addressed to the resident. The driver suspected the man was lying about his identity, so he told him he didn’t have the package and took down his name and phone number to be notified if the item was found. He later personally delivered the package to the victim, who opened it to find a new Chase credit card embossed with his name that he had not ordered.

Dec. 11

Mail theft: 4100 block of Hampstead Road. A woman reported that at 10 a.m. Dec. 8 she received an alert saying that UPS packages she was expecting had been delivered to her mailbox. When she returned home the packages and an unknown quantity of mail were missing from the mailbox.

Dec. 13

Identity theft: 700 block of Forest Green Drive. A woman reported that on Nov. 25 she’d received an alert from U.S. Bank of four charges made on three different credit cards that are all joint accounts with her husband. All were made in Beverly Hills, at Cartier, Hermes and Chanel stores. She told the bank those purchases were fraudulent. The bank agent advised her the charges would be canceled, but the accounts were left open. On Dec. 10 the woman received another alert regarding more charges at the same stores. Contacting her bank again, a representative said that a male caller in October provided the husband’s personal information, including Social Security number, and requested three new credit cards be sent to his residence. He further said that he would be using them to make several large purchases in Beverly Hills that he didn’t want flagged or denied. The new cards were mailed to him on Oct. 31. The victim said neither she nor her husband had ordered new cards nor made the disputed purchases.

Dec. 15

Armed robbery: 1700 block of Earlmont Avenue. Two Latino men believed to be in their 20s walked up to a couple that were just arriving at the property for a visit, pointed handguns at them and demanded their belongings. Taken were two iPhones, a men’s wallet containing currency and two debit cards, and a key fob for a 2012 Subaru Forester. The robbers escaped in an orange pickup truck.

Dec. 16

Vandalism: 600 block of Foothill Boulevard. A woman reported that sometime between 5 and 5:40 p.m., immediately after she took a parking place in front of Gelson’s, prompting anger in another driver who had wanted it, someone left a 14-inch scratch on the passenger side door of the victim’s Chevy Camaro.

Burglary: 4300 block of Chevy Chase Drive. Two Rolex watches and miscellaneous jewelry items were stolen from the upstairs master bedroom sometime between 4 p.m. on Dec. 14 and 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 16. It appeared to a responding deputy that someone had climbed on an outdoor counter to gain access to the second floor, where a window was broken to enter the home.

Dec. 17

Petty theft: 2100 block of Via Venado. Sometime between 6 p.m. Dec. 16 and 7 a.m. Dec. 17, someone stole a shopping bag with two toys in it, six compact discs and a phone charger from his Toyota Sienna, which he’d left parked unlocked in his driveway.