Crime Report: Man walks away from smash-and-grab burglary with 18 high-end handbags
May 26
Burglary: 600 block of Foothill Boulevard, La Cañada. Deputies responded to a burglary alarm call at a business at around 11:45 p.m. to find shattered glass near the entrance and a broken glass storage case in the middle of the store with just one purse remaining inside it. A blue-handled hammer was found near the case. A store employee arrived on scene and reviewed the store’s surveillance footage, which showed a white male adult break the window glass and crawl through to gain entry. The suspect, who wore a stocking over his face, a black shirt and tan pants and carried a black duffel bag, was then seen walking toward the storage case. Employees said the suspect made off with 18 high-end purses, made by Fendi, Gucci, Balenciaga, Stella McCartney and Givenchy, among others.
May 27
Burglary, vehicle: 4300 block of Fairlawn Drive, La Cañada. A man parked and locked his 2009 Toyota Camry on the street at around 7 a.m. to participate in a memorial torch run through the La Cañada area, placing his vehicle key on top of the front passenger tire before leaving. When he returned at around 9:30 a.m., he discovered the key was missing from the tire and his wallet, containing his driver’s license, U.S. Marine’s identification card and credit cards as well as his iPhone 6 had been stolen from the center console. A set of miscellaneous house keys was also missing.
Petty theft: 900 block of Town Center Drive, La Cañada. A store employee told deputies she was conducting a security walk in the store’s electronics department at around 12:15 p.m. on May 25, when she saw an open antitheft locking case hanging on the sale rack. Video surveillance showed a white man wearing a gray short-sleeved shirt and blue pants enter the store the day before at around 12:20 p.m., approach the electronics department and unsuccessfully attempt to use an S3 key (used by employees to unlock anti-theft devices) on a laptop. He then approached the headphone display rack and, at around 12:30 p.m., opened the case for a pair of Jaybird headphones and removed the item before returning the empty case to the rack, concealing the headphones and exiting the store without paying.
Petty theft, unlocked vehicle: 5100 block of Ramsdell Avenue, La Crescenta. A woman left her unlocked 2017 Hyundai SUV on the street in front of her house the day before at around 6:20 p.m. When she returned that day at around 4 p.m. she saw the console and glove compartment were open and several items were strewn about the interior. Among the items taken were her L.A. County Department of Child and Family Services ID badge, a pair of Chanel sunglasses and a blue leather backpack containing diapers, wipes and children’s clothing.
May 28
Vandalism, vehicle: 2400 block of Los Amigos Street, La Crescenta. A man told deputies sometime between 9 p.m. the day before and 7:40 a.m. that day someone slammed a rock against the front windshield of his 2013 Volvo C30 and shattered it. He also reported damage to the vehicle’s roof and a cracked rear windshield, saying he doesn’t know who would vandalize his vehicle intentionally, as he gets along well with his neighbors. Nothing was stolen from inside the vehicle, deputies said.
May 31
Identity theft: 200 block of Baptiste Way, La Cañada. A woman said sometime between Jan. 1 and May 13, someone used her information to open a fraudulent account with a phone/cable company. She’d received a letter from a collections agency on May 13 and had received calls seeking payment and telling her they’d need a copy of her driver’s license and three utility bill statements before they could open a fraud investigation for her.
June 1
Grand theft: 400 block of Foothill Boulevard, La Cañada. A woman arrived at a grocery store at around 1 p.m. and placed her purse in the child seat of her shopping cart. At around 1:30 p.m. she turned away from her purse to reach for an item in the meat department and turned back around only to notice the zipper on her purse had been opened and her wallet, containing her driver’s license, cash and several credit cards, as well as her iPhone were missing from inside. She asked a Latino woman standing near her cart is she had seen anything, but the woman indicated in Spanish she did not speak English and then exited the store. A manager who’d been in front of the store at the time said he saw the unknown woman “speed” walk out of the store while talking on a phone. She walked east toward Union Bank and tossed something out before leaving in a white Acura sedan. The woman was described as in her 30s or 40s, about 5 feet 3, with long, straight black hair, wearing a black jacket, white shirt and jeans. Deputies did not find any discarded items near the location.
Compiled by Sara Cardine from reports filed at the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station.
