Highlighted Activity for the Weekdays of May 20-22, 2013

Commercial Burglary / Possession of a Controlled Substance for Sales – Suspect Arrested

May 20 at 1:48 p.m., officers were dispatched to a business in the 1600 block of South Mountain on the report of a fraud in progress.  An unknown suspect fraudulently purchased a large generator online for over 1,400 dollars.  The next day, a suspect came to the business to pick up the item; however, while staff was reviewing the purchase, they noticed the suspect was very nervous, and he suddenly left the store.  A loss prevention officer investigated the purchase and discovered the credit account information used was unauthorized.  The account holder was contacted, and it was confirmed that the account was compromised and the purchase was fraudulent.

Several hours later, the suspect returned and attempted to pick up the item again.  The police were immediately notified, and the suspect was quickly detained by the arriving officers.  The suspect claimed he did not purchase the item and was only picking it up to drop it off at a construction jobsite.  However, the suspect's statements were inconsistent and suspicous.  During a consentual search of the suspect, a large plastic baggie with a white crystalline powder was found in the suspect's pocket.  He told officers it was sugar, but it was later tested and determined to be methamphetamine.  As the quantity was much larger than a drug user would be in possession of,  the suspect was also charged with possession of a controlled substance for sales.  Investigation continuing.

Outstanding Warrant – Suspect Arrested

May 21 at 9:49 a.m., a suspicious vehicle was reported in the 100 block of Los Angeles.  An officer responded and observed the vehicle and contacted the occupant.  A computer check revealed the subject had a no-bail warrant for leaving his work release program.  The suspect was arrested for the warrant.  

Battery / Private Person Arrest – Suspect Arrested

May 21 at 12:56 p.m., a battery incident was reported at a business in the 200 block of Kruse Avenue.  A recently terminated employee had returned to the business to confront another employee, who he felt had caused his termination.  The suspect assaulted the employee, although the employee, while defending himself, got the better of the suspect.  The victim made a citizen’s arrest on the suspect for battery.  The suspect was arrested and taken into custody.

Commercial Burglary – Two Suspects Arrested

May 21 at 2:50 p.m., a manager from a business in the 1600 block of South Mountain observed two male suspects concealing merchandise on their person and called police.  The suspects were associated with a red Dodge truck that was involved in an incident at the Glendora business earlier in the day.  Staff from that location had alerted the Monrovia store to be on the look out for the suspects.  The suspects entered the store and pushed a cart with several items in it into the garden area.  They abandoned the cart and walked out of the store with the merchandise without paying.  

Officers arrived and observed the suspects.  The suspects ran south on Mountain and into a commercial property.  The red Dodge was located and officers watched it. The two male suspects were located hiding under vehicles and were arrested without further incident.  One suspect was determined to be a juvenile and was released on citation to his mother.  The adult suspect was held on bail.  There was a third suspect, a female with very short hair, who was the driver of the truck.  She was not located.  The truck was stored as evidence and an investigation is ongoing regarding the true ownership of the vehicle.  Investigation continuing.

Petty Theft / Possession of Drug Paraphernalia – Suspect Arrested

May 22 at 2:23 p.m., a business in the 1600 block of South Mountain reported a male suspect taking merchandise and leaving the store without paying.  He was apprehended by loss prevention and returned one item, then suddenly ran, still in possession of additional items.  Officers responded and located the suspect nearby.  He was arrested for petty theft.  The suspect was also found to be in possession of a used hypodermic needle, which was added to his charges.

Detective Bureau Case Follow-up

On January 6, 2013, at 5:01 a.m., an explosion occurred at a residence in the 200 block of East Walnut Avenue.  When officers arrived, they located three victims with severe burns, and the home was engulfed in flames.

The initial investigation and suspect statements revealed the explosion occurred due to the suspects manufacturing drugs in the home, using Butane, a highly flammable gas.  The home filled with the gas fumes and an unknown ignition source caused an explosion.  The suspects suffered burns over 50 percent of their bodies and were taken to local burn centers.  The home has extensive damage, totaling more than 94,000 dollars, and is uninhabitable.

On May 22, 2013, this case was presented to the Major Narcotics Division of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.  Multiple felony charges were filed against all three suspects and the case is pending trial.

Tip of the Week

Stay Informed Through Nixle and ALERT LA County Emergency Mass Notification System

The Monrovia Police and Fire Departments are in the process of implementing nixle for emergency alerts, advisories, traffic alerts, and community information sent directly to your cellular phone and/or email.  This service is provided FREE to you.  Nixle is operated in conjunction with NLETS, an international public safety information network, providing secure, authenticated messaging sent directly from your Police or Fire Department. 

Alert LA County is an emergency mass notification system to alert residents and businesses by phone, text, and e-mail of emergencies in their area.  Alert LA County allows the Sheriff's Emergency Communications Center to activate local and regional alerts by drawing the boundaries of the area to be notified on a computer map.  Recorded and written alerts will provide information on the nature of the emergency and necessary actions, such as evacuations.  The County's 7.1 million landline phone numbers are programmed into the mass notification system, but the public must register Voice over IP lines, cell phones and e-mail addresses.    Each telephone number and e-mail can be associated with only one street address.

The Monrovia Police and Fire Departments are encouraging residents to sign up for both nixle and Alert LA County so you can receive critical information during emergencies.  Just click on nixle and Alert LA County to sign up!  It only takes a couple of minutes to complete the forms and there is no cost to you.