Hermosa Beach Crime Reports for 2005

ASSAULT. Two men were arrested for reportedly assaulting a man outside a bar on the pier plaza Dec. 31 at 1:25 a.m. The officer reporting was flagged down by the bar’s doorman regarding the incident. The officer spoke with the victim, who suffered a chipped tooth, a laceration on the forehead and swelling to the left cheek. The victim told police he was sitting on a bench speaking with a friend when two men approached him and told him they didn’t like the way he was speaking to his friend. The victim told the men to leave and words were exchanged between the two parties.

The two men then began to strike the victim with closed fists to his upper body and head while the victim’s friend sat there. In an attempt to defend himself, the victim stood up and was then pushed to the ground where the men continued to hit him with a closed fist. The victim, who was on vacation from medical school in Boston and back in the area visiting his parents, knew the two men from high school. Two other officers located and chased the two suspects through a parking garage. The victim identified one of the men as hitting him numerous times but was not sure if the other man was involved. However, another witness did identify both men as the suspects.

STOLEN PHONE. A phone valued at $200 was reportedly stolen from inside a bar on the pier plaza Dec. 31 between 5 and 7 p.m. The victim left the phone on a table and walked away for a moment. Upon return, the victim noticed the phone missing.

GRAFITTI. A restaurant located in the 1000 block of Pacific Coast Highway was reportedly vandalized Jan. 3 between 1 and 6 a.m. An unknown person printed the line, “(expletive) you, U R closed on Monday,” on the rear wall of the business with white spray paint.

BURGLARIZED CAR. A car parked in the 200 block of 24th Street was reportedly burglarized between the hours of 11:30 p.m. Jan. 2 and 7:30 a.m. Jan. 3. Once inside the car, the victim noticed that the contents inside the glove box, storage compartment, ashtray and side door compartment had been emptied. Two gift certificates were missing, and the victim also believes that some CDs might have been stolen.

The Beach Reporter – January 6, 2006

Hermosa Beach - Crime Watch

CAR BURGLARY. A car parked in the 200 block of Prospect Avenue was reportedly burglarized Jan. 3 between 1 a.m. and 3 p.m. The victim parked the car, locked it and went inside the residence. Upon return, the victim found the rear passenger side window smashed out and a detachable stereo missing.

CAR BURGLARY. A car parked in the 2500 block of Myrtle Avenue was reportedly burglarized between Jan. 2 at 9 p.m. and Jan. 3 at 9:30 a.m. The car was parked in front of the victim’s residence and when the victim left for work, it was discovered that someone had rifled through the glove box. The victim also noticed that the mini-iPod located in a cup holder part of the center console was missing.

ATTACKED. A woman was reportedly attacked by a man from behind in the 800 block of Loma Drive Jan. 2. The woman told police she parked her car on Cypress Avenue around 10:30 p.m. and was walking north on Loma Drive looking for a residence when she noticed the suspect. The man was walking south on the same street. She heard someone walking, and the man approached her from behind and placed a white rag laced with an unknown type of alcohol substance over her nose and mouth using both hands. He then placed a towel over her nose and mouth, and pulled the victim toward him using the towel. The victim began to yell for help and the suspect fled the scene on foot.

PETTY THEFT. An unknown person stole $40 in cash from an unlocked car parked in the 200 block of 29th Street between 2 p.m. Jan. 2 and 9:30 a.m. Jan. 3. The victim returned to her car and noticed the cash missing from her car’s coin container. Nothing else was stolen.

CAR BURGLARY. A stereo was stolen from a car parked near Sixth Street and Prospect Avenue between Dec. 30 at 7 p.m. and Jan. 3 at 2:03 a.m. The suspect parked the car on the street, and returned to find the front passenger side window smashed and the stereo missing.

The Beach Reporter – December 30, 2005

Hermosa Beach - Crime Watch (12/30)

DENTED CAR. A 1999 Porsche Boxster was reportedly vandalized in the 1800 block of Manhattan Avenue between Dec. 9 at 5 p.m. and Dec. 10 at 8:30 a.m. The victim parked there and upon return noticed that an unknown person had kicked the side of the passenger’s door and dented it.

VANDALIZED BENCHES. Several park benches in the 2600 block of Valley Drive were reportedly vandalized during an unknown date and time with red spray paint. The vandals wrote graffiti on them along with trash cans and an amphitheater wall.

BURGLARY. A car parked in an underground garage in the 400 block of Monterey Boulevard was reportedly burglarized between Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 19 at 7:05 a.m. The victim parked and locked the car, and returned to find a rear passenger window smashed with damage estimated at $50. The burglar(s) stole a stereo valued at $500, 500 CDs valued at $4,000 and a CD case valued at $60. The victim suspects his neighbor who is known for his alleged drug use and strange behavior.

SHATTERED DOOR. A glass security door at a hotel in the 900 block of Aviation Boulevard was reportedly shattered Dec. 18 around 5 a.m. The manager arrived at work that morning and was informed by a night staff that a guest had heard someone break glass outside the building. One of the staff members wen to investigate and discovered that the rear security glass door was broken.

GRAFFITI. The Strand wall near 34th Street was reportedly vandalized during an unknown date and time. The vandal(s) wrote on top of the wall with a red marker. No suspect was seen and the writing is unintelligible.

The Beach Reporter – December 22, 2005

Hermosa Beach - Crime Watch

VANDALISM. A car parked in the 1300 block of Bayview Drive was reportedly burglarized Nov. 17 around 3 a.m. The victim, who reported the incident Dec. 12, said that he heard a loud noise outside the front of his apartment building. He then called 9-1-1 and assumed the police were handling a disturbance call. The man returned to his car a few hours later and discovered a trash can on top of it. He talked with one of his neighbors who said that she heard the noise as well and when she went outside to see about it she saw another neighbor. She said that he was drunk and has consistently harassed her, but that she did not see him throw the trash can.

CREDIT CARD FRAUD. An unknown person reportedly used a bank credit card belonging to a woman living in the 600 block of Fourth Street to make fraudulent transactions between Nov. 23 and Dec. 11. The victim checked her bank account online and discovered numerous unauthorized charges, the first one at a Shell gas station for $75. She learned that other charges had been made at gas stations in California, Texas and Arizona and the last purchase in Pomona. The total amount of unauthorized charges total $1,510.

ATTEMPTED ROBBERY. Two men reportedly tried to rob another man in the 3300 block of The Strand Dec. 7 at 9:45 p.m. The victim was walking on The Strand during his evening exercise when he noticed two subjects in hooded sweatshirts walking toward him from the opposite direction. The victim made eye contact with one of the suspects as they passed and he then forgot about them. Shortly after, the two men grabbed the victim from behind and he turned around and saw the two subjects. The suspect whom he gave eye contact to said, “Give me your money.” The man then pointed a black revolver into the victim’s abdomen at point blank range. The victim said he did not have any money and the suspect added, “Give me your wallet, give me your watch.” The suspect then began to search the victim’s waistband for valuables. The victim, afraid for his safety, handed the suspects over an inexpensive watch to the robbers. The suspect examined it and handed it back over. The suspects then fled the scene.

The Beach Reporter – December 15, 2005

Hermosa Beach - Crime Watch

CHURCH WINDOWS. Two church widows were reportedly smashed between Dec. 3 at 4 p.m. and Dec. 4 at 9 a.m. One of the windows was stained glass while the other was made out of glass that was amber in color for a total value of $800. A cinder block and a red brick that were used to break the windows were found inside the church.

PHONE CALLS. An unknown person has repeatedly called a Hermosa Beach resident between December 2004 and Dec. 7, 2005. The caller dials the victim’s cell phone numerous times and leaves long messages of nothing but background noise. On several occasions, the suspect has made unintelligible statements. The victim receives the call and the caller ID indicates a private number.

FRAUD. A fraudulent check was reportedly used in the attempt to buy merchandise at a surf shop in the 300 block of Pier Avenue Dec. 11 at 4:50 p.m. The store employee processed the purchase that included a $400 surfboard and clothing for a total of $1,600. The suspect wrote the first check, made a mistake and then voided it out. The suspect then wrote a second check and made another mistake but presented it to the employee anyway. The employee noticed it was the last check in the book. The employee asked for identification and was presented with an ID that looked fake. The employee called the check verification line and was told that the date of birth on the presented ID did not match the one on the original ID. The employee advised the suspect who then took back the ID and the check, and left with a second suspect.

HOME BURGLARY. A series of items were reportedly taken from a residence in Hermosa Beach Dec. 7 between 8 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. The victim returned and discovered his front door wide open and noticed that his living room had been ransacked. He went outside to the front of his house to find his laptop, printer and two video game consoles valued at $2,500 all sitting on the sidewalk. His bearded dragon reptile valued at $300 was also missing and his glass cage turned upside down. Another glass cage was also turned over that contained an unknown amount of crickets now loose in the house.

STOLEN BIKE. A bike valued at $1,300 was reportedly stolen from a parking garage in Hermosa Beach Dec. 6 at 6:30 p.m.

The Beach Reporter – December 8, 2005

Hermosa Beach - Crime Watch (12/8)

BATTERY. A man was reportedly assaulted by a group of men near Hermosa Avenue and 14th Street Nov. 27 at 1:45 a.m. The victim was kicked out of a nearby bar and was very upset about it. He walked around to “cool down” when he heard someone yelling at him. He was still mad so he yelled back. He then saw the main suspect running rapidly toward him who then started punching him in the face with his fists. The victim dropped to the ground and covered his head. The suspect was with five other men, and the victim wasn’t sure exactly who was hitting and kicking him. The victim then heard the police and a friend arrive, and the suspects left the area. The victim later got a call from his ex-girlfriend around 2 a.m. who said she got a call from her most recent ex-boyfriend who told her, “We just kicked your ex-boyfriend’s ass.” The victim dated the girl for 4-1/2 years while the suspect dated her after they broke up.

STOLEN MEAT. A grocery store in the 2500 block of Pacific Coast Highway was reportedly burglarized Nov. 24 between 6 and 11:45 p.m. The locking mechanism of a rear door to the store was pried open and although it was not immediately known what was taken, police believe that the burglars got away with some lunch meat as some was left on the floor in the process.

STOLEN CASH. Two vending machines were reportedly burglarized outside a grocery store in the 2500 block of Pacific Coast Highway between Nov. 15 and Nov. 22. One of the vending machine technicians noticed a drilled hole next to the keyhole of the machine and informed the company about it. The machine was last filled about a month ago while the machine belonged to the grocery store. The technician said he filled it Nov. 15 and it was fine. The burglars got away with an estimated $225 from the Coca-Cola machine and about $153 from the grocery store machine.

BAR BREAK-IN. A bar in the first block of Hermosa Avenue was reportedly broken into between 3 and 9:20 a.m. Nov. 23. The manager arrived at the bar in the morning and discovered the cash register drawer on the floor. It was then noticed that a rear door to the bar had a hole at the bottom of it and that the floor safe had been tampered with. The manager spoke to the employees who closed down the bar who said that they had no problems dropping the morning cash into the safe.

The Beach Reporter – December 1, 2005

Hermosa Beach - Crime Watch (12/1)

STOLEN BLACKBERRY. A Blackberry valued at $300 was reportedly stolen from a car parked in the 700 block of Pier Avenue Oct. 19 at 2:15 p.m. The phone was stolen from the car while the victim was running errands and thinks the car was left unlocked.

STOLEN WALLET. A wallet that was left in a shopping cart reportedly went missing in the 700 block of Pier Avenue Oct. 29 between 11:50 and 11:55 a.m. The victim left the wallet in the front portion of the cart after leaving a store and walked about 100 feet to the car when it was realized the wallet was still in the cart. The victim returned and found the wallet missing from the cart.

CRACKED WINDSHIELD. A windshield was reportedly cracked by an unknown object Oct. 26 between 9:25 and 9:30 p.m. in the 1800 block of Hermosa Avenue. The victim was driving the car and heard a loud bang, which was described as something hitting the car. It was later discovered the windshield was cracked. Residue from an unknown object was found on the windshield near the crack. It is unknown if the object was thrown at the car or if something was kicked up from another car.

ROBBERY/STABBING. A man was reportedly stabbed and robbed of his wallet in the 1000 block of Bayview Drive Oct. 15 between 3:30 and 3:43 a.m. The man was walking to his car parked in the 500 block of Eighth Street after going to the bars on the pier plaza. The car was parked near an apartment complex he visited earlier that day. Two men wearing dark clothing approached the man and demanded his wallet. The men then grabbed the man and tried to wrestle his wallet away but the victim fought back by grabbing it by both hands. One of the suspects hit the man who felt a pain in his lower abdomen and realized he had been stabbed. The man let go of the wallet, and the two men removed an unknown amount of cash and possibly some credit cards and dropped the wallet. The man told police that he did not see the men get into a car. He was apparently in shock when he talked to police and was transported to a nearby hospital by paramedics.

The Beach Reporter – November 24, 2005

Hermosa Beach – Crime Watch (11/24)

CAR BURGLARY. A car parked in the underground carport in the 700 block of Pier Avenue was reportedly burglarized Nov. 20 at 8 a.m. The unknown suspect broke into the locked car, and stole a tool belt and various tools valued at $1,300 from the trunk.

STOLEN PURSE. A purse was reportedly stolen from a shopping cart inside a drug store in the 700 block of Pier Avenue Nov. 20 between 12:30 and 1 p.m. The victim placed her purse in the top portion of the shopping cart and when she went to retrieve it, it was missing. The purse contained the victim’s driver’s license and Social Security number.

STOLEN FILES. Several personal files stored and locked in a building in Hermosa Beach were reportedly stolen between Oct. 27 and Nov. 4. The victim said the files were stolen from a locked cabinet. The victim found the key to the cabinet that was usually on the key ring in a drawer.

SHATTERED WINDOW. A rear passenger window of a car was reportedly shattered near Second Street and Manhattan Avenue Nov. 11 between 11:15 a.m. and about 12:40 p.m. The car was parked in the driveway.

STOLEN CELL. A cellular phone valued at about $200 was reportedly stolen from a restaurant located near the corner of Manhattan and Pier avenues Nov. 12 at 11:15 p.m. The victim left the phone on the table to go to the bathroom and returned to find it missing.

The Beach Reporter – November 17, 2005

Hermosa Beach - Crime Watch (11/17)

STOLEN DYLAN. A man reportedly stole about eight Bob Dylan CDs from a coffeehouse in the 1100 block of Pacific Coast Highway Nov. 7 at about 4:30 p.m. The witness to the incident, who works at the shop, said the man entered the business and walked over to the shelves at the sound end of the store. He began to place the Dylan CDs into his bag and then turned to her and asked the location of the restrooms. The employee then pointed to them and the man began to walk in their direction but ended up leaving the store. The employee informed her manager immediately who ran outside to find the suspect, but to no avail. The value of the stolen CDs is about $184.

THREAT OVER A DEBT. A man reportedly demanded a debt from another man who refused and then was threatened in the first block of Pier Avenue Nov. 8 from 11:30 to 11:50 a.m. The victim told police that he was talking to a friend and recognized the suspect who was walking in his direction. The victim and the suspect then engaged in a casual conversation for about two minutes when the suspect became enraged and demanded that the victim pay him money that he owed him. The victim denied any knowledge of the debt, which caused the suspect to be angrier. The suspect then demanded that the victim give him the property on him in lieu of money. The victim refused and the suspect responded with, “You better give me your s*** or else…I’m going to f****** kill you.” The victim feared for his safety and ran away while the suspect fled the scene on a bike. The victim said the suspect has assaulted and battered him in the past.

ATM FRAUD. An unknown person reportedly used the personal information of a Hermosa Beach resident to buy services over the Internet during an unknown date and time. The victim reported the incident Nov. 4 and told police she noticed a charge to her bank check card account that she did not recognize. The woman then called the company that made the charge of about $34. A representative provided the victim with her correct name, address and credit card number but that the account was associated with an e-mail address that was not the victim’s. The company provides access to certain Web sites and charged the victim’s account per month for the last four months. The victim has plans to close her bank account.

BROKEN WINDOW. A window of a home in the 200 block of 10th Street was reportedly broken by an unknown object from and unknown person between 11 p.m. Nov. 4 and 2 a.m. Nov. 5. The object did not go through the window into the house but left a large hole in it. The window faces 10th Street and the victim was not home during the incident.

The Beach Reporter – November 10, 2005

Hermosa Beach - Crime Watch (11/10)

STOLEN GUITAR. A Les Paul guitar was reportedly stolen from a house in the 500 block of The Strand between 7:15 and 7:30 p.m. Nov. 5. According to the victim, the house was a venue for a large party where he was the guitarist/singer in a band performing there. The victim arrived at the party around 5:30 p.m. and entered the patio area, which had a tarp hanging over it. He leaned his guitar against the wall and left the area to mingle. He returned to find the bronze guitar valued at $4,000 missing.

CRIMINAL THREATS. A man reportedly made threats at several employees of a bar on the pier plaza threatening their lives between 12:05 and 12:17 a.m. Nov. 6. The bar manager told police that the man was asked to leave the bar by several bouncers who escorted him out and the suspect resisted. He was eventually thrown out, and he then became enraged and began yelling profanities at the bouncers claiming he was from Venice and that he was going “to put a bullet” in their head. The bouncers then detained the man while employees were sent to contact foot patrol officers in the area. The officers arrived and noticed the suspect being held by four employees behind the business. The employees let go of the man who lunged forward at the manager. One of the officers believed he was trying to engage the man in a fight so he grabbed the man’s wrist. The suspect tried to pull away but the officer maintained his grip. The man then began yelling profanities at the manager, and the officers eventually took him to the ground and arrested him. He was detained for criminal threats.

The Beach Reporter – November 3, 2005

Hermosa Beach - Crime Watch (11/3)

HOME BREAK-IN. A woman was reportedly attacked by a man who broke in to her home in the 3500 block of Manhattan Avenue between 3:25 and 3:30 a.m. Oct. 29. The woman was awakened by a sound of someone climbing the stairs on the north side of her house. She then heard a loud thump on the floor above her. She opened her bedroom door, stood in the doorway and yelled “What the hell are you doing in my house?” The suspect, who was wearing a mask, then ran down the stairs toward her and pushed her to the ground with both hands. The suspect then grabbed her around the throat with one of his hands and put pressure on her neck. He said, “Just stay still.” The woman responded saying, “What are you doing?” Although the woman was frightened, she did not believe the man was trying to strangle her. The woman tried to fight the man off by kicking and grabbing his hands, and after a short period of time, the suspect let go of her throat. The woman’s 12-year-old daughter was inside the house with a friend who called 911 by the time the suspect was leaving. Paramedics treated the woman who was bleeding from the head.

ATTEMPTED BURGLARY. An unknown person reportedly tried to break into the Kiwanis Club located in the 2500 block of Valley Drive Oct. 25 between 5 and 6 p.m. The suspect tried to gain entry into the club through one of the front doors by prying it open. A previous burglary attempt occurred within the last week when someone tried to pry open another front door.

CREDIT CARD THEFT. A woman reportedly used the credit card number of a Hermosa Beach resident living in the 900 block of 13th Street Oct. 26 at 2:49 p.m. The victim was informed that the Redondo Beach Police had in custody a woman for credit card theft. The suspect worked in Manhattan Beach and the victim paid a bill with the business with her credit card. Police said the woman was in possession of the victim’s credit card number and later discovered an unauthorized purchase at Wal-Mart for about $338.

ASSAULT. A woman was reportedly assaulted by her friend outside a sandwich shop in the 1000 block of Hermosa Avenue Oct. 13 between 8:30 and 9 p.m. The woman told police she went inside the shop to drop off something for the friend. A regular customer, a 14-year-old boy, began to throw ice at her and said “**** you.” She picked up some of the ice and threw it back at him. The friend grabbed the woman by the arm, escorted her outside and she told him to tell the teenager that “…I’m not going to put up with that.” The friend responded, “Why are you making threats?” The woman began to leave, was going to tell her friend one more thing, and turned around when her friend grabbed her by both arms and bit her left shoulder. The woman swept the man’s legs out from under him to stop the biting and he fell to the ground. The victim helped the suspect back up and began to walk toward her car. The suspect followed her and hit her in the back of the head with his fist, leaving a welt. The victim then pushed the suspect away, knocking him into a witness’s car. The victim got back into her car and began to back up when she heard a crunch and felt her tire roll over something. The victim got out and saw it was her cell phone. She believes the teenager put the phone there and wants him to pay for it.

The Beach Reporter – October 27, 2005

Hermosa Beach - Crime Watch (10/27)

STORE BURGLARY. Two men were detained for reportedly stealing items from a grocery store in the 1100 block of Pacific Coast Highway Oct. 21 at 4:33 p.m. A store employee saw one of the suspects in one of the aisles holding a shopping basket who then walked toward a register and stood in line. She also saw the second suspect holding a basket with a number of items inside. The man then turned his back and appeared to place some of the items into his jacket. The employee told the manager, and both watched as the suspect standing in line who was no longer carrying a basket walked toward the entrance. The other suspect also approached the entrance and the alarm sounded. One of the store clerks tried to detain him but he pulled away. The men eventually fled the scene in a car. The two men were later detained and police recovered numerous items from the store and their car including toilet paper, batteries, razors, body spray, soda, candy bars and cookies. A grocery store in Redondo Beach had been burglarized a day earlier and the men matched the description of the suspects described in the theft.

HOME BURGLARY. A home in the 800 block of Bard Street was reportedly burglarized between 9:10 and 11 a.m. Oct. 10. The victim locked the house and returned to find that the garage door had been forced open. Later that day around 10:05 p.m., the victim’s husband noticed that a guitar was missing from an office and one was missing from a bedroom.

CAR BURGLARY. A car was reportedly burglarized in the 900 block of Manhattan Avenue between 8 p.m. Oct. 12 and 6 a.m. Oct. 13. The victim parked and locked his car in the driveway, returned and remotely deactivated the alarm, and began to drive to work. On the way, he noticed that several pairs of sunglasses valued at $1,000, his wallet valued at $200, and several credit cards and his identification were missing.

The Beach Reporter – October 20, 2005

Hermosa Beach - Crime Watch (10/20)

CAR BURGLARY. A car parked in the 200 block of 20th Street was reportedly burglarized between Oct. 16 and 17. The victim parked the car and returned to find the passenger key lock had been punched in. Papers from the glove box were strewn about the car and the burglar(s) stole CDs, a backpack and cufflinks all valued at $420.

CAR BURGLARY. A car parked in the 200 block of 20th Court was reportedly burglarized between 7 p.m. Oct. 16 and 8:34 Oct. 17. The victim returned to the car to find the contents of the glove box spread out over the inside of the car and three pairs of sunglasses, one valued at $300, and coins from the ashtray missing.

STOLEN TOOLS. Several tools were reportedly stolen from a carport in the 800 block of Cypress Avenue between 8 a.m. Oct. 12 and 10:15 a.m. Oct. 17. The victim left for Napa for his honeymoon and returned to find the tools valued at $3,200 were missing.

GARAGE BURGLARY. A garage in the 600 block of Fifth Street was reportedly burglarized as far back as 2-1/2 months ago. The victim reported the incident Oct. 17 and told police that the roll-up garage door was broken, and noticed that a vegetable chopper valued at $1,000 and an accordion were missing.

STOLEN PURSE. A woman’s purse was reportedly stolen out of the laundry room of an apartment complex in the 1600 block of Ardmore Avenue Oct. 15 between 6:20 and 6:40 p.m. The victim works as a housekeeper at the complex and put her purse in the room, asking her son to look after it while she cleaned. They returned to the room, and noticed both her son and purse missing. She found her son, who left the purse unattended, in the pool. The missing purse valued at $20 contained a cell phone valued at $50, a series of personal checks written out to the victim in the amount of $800, and her identification and bank card.

The Beach Reporter – October 13, 2005

Hermosa Beach - Crime Watch (10/13)

PURSE STOLEN. A car parked in the 3000 block of Hermosa Avenue was reportedly burglarized between 10:30 p.m. Oct. 8 and 10:15 a.m. Oct. 9. The victim locked and parked her car on the street, and returned to discover her purse missing although there was no forced entry. The burglar(s) stole her purse, which contained a cell phone, two pairs of sunglasses and $150 in cash. The phone is valued at $300, the sunglasses $265 and the purse $78.

CASH STOLEN. Nearly $1,000 in cash was stolen from a business on pier plaza between noon Oct. 5 and 10 a.m. Oct. 9. The victim, who is the owner and a teacher at the business, needed some cash to buy coffee and noticed that the east door of the business was open. She opened her desk to retrieve the cash and noticed that $900 was missing. She last saw it when she placed it in a brown cloth bag at the bottom of the desk drawer underneath miscellaneous items.

DAMAGED CAR. A car parked in Hermosa Beach was reportedly damaged between 5 and 5:35 p.m. Oct. 6. The victim parked and locked the car, and returned to find the driver’s side window dislodged. The cost to repair the window is $300.

CRACKED WINDSHIELD. A car parked in the 2500 block of Pacific Coast Highway reportedly suffered a cracked windshield between 9 p.m. Oct. 4 and 4 p.m. Oct. 5. The victim parked the car in a lot of a hotel and returned to find the crack. The victim believes that someone threw a fist-size rock at the car from one of the hotel balconies after noticing the rocks that were situated in outside planters.

STOLEN BIKE. A bike valued at $500 was reportedly stolen outside a drug store in the 700 block of Pier Avenue Oct. 7 around 4 p.m. The victim left the bike outside the drug store while shopping inside a nearby grocery store and returned to find the bike missing.

The Beach Reporter – October 6, 2005

Hermosa Beach - Crime Watch (10/6)

HOME BURGLARY. A home in the 1400 block of Loma Drive was reportedly burglarized between 8 a.m. Sept. 30 and 8 a.m. Oct. 1. The victim, who works nights, placed his wallet containing a credit card and his driver’s license and his pair of sunglasses on his stairwell as usual. He noticed the items missing only after returning home from work the next day. He called his bank and it informed him that several purchases had already been made with the card including one at a smoke shop near the corner of Hermosa Avenue and Second Street. The store owner said he would give the police a surveillance tape of the person who made the purchase. The victim said that part of his building is being painted and that the workers have seen him come and go. He told police that he locks his doorknob but not the deadbolt.

ROBBERY. A man reportedly robbed two men of cash after assaulting one with a baseball bat near Second Street and Palm Drive Sept. 30 at 1:15 a.m. The victims were walking home and headed east on Second Street from Hermosa Avenue. As they approached Palm Drive, a dark-colored Chevrolet Blazer pulled up in front of them. The main suspect got out from the back seat of the car and approached the victims with a demanding tone in his voice asking them what they had. One of the victims thought he was kidding and a verbal exchange occurred back and forth three times. He noticed that the suspect was holding an aluminum bat and swung it at one of the victims in a downward direction. The victim, who was fearful of being struck, blocked the bat with his right arm and was hit in the right forearm. The victims then threw $20 on the ground to stop the assault.

MINORS DRINKING. A man identified as the president of the Mira Costa High School Football Boosters received a warning from police about allowing minors to drink alcohol on his property in the 2000 block of The Strand Sept. 23 at 10:55 p.m. Police received an anonymous tip on Sept. 22 that a football booster was providing alcohol for football players and their friends after the games. Police responded to the man’s home the next day and noticed a quiet, orderly gathering at the house. The two officers noticed between 25 and 30 obvious minors sitting around an outdoor fire pit and in the lower recreation room of the house. The majority of the male minors were students at Mira Costa High School, as they were wearing polo shirts with the school’s logo on them. About half the minors were drinking from alcoholic bottles and cans but officers didn’t see any obviously intoxicated persons. The police considered issuing citations to the minors but instead decided to determine if a responsible adult was present. The officers contacted the homeowner, who is the president, and showed him their badges as identification. Many minors saw it was the police and began to leave their drinks. They asked the man if he was aware that alcohol was being consumed by students on his property, and the man said, “There might be a few drinking.” The officers then advised the man of the great civic liability he was placing himself in by providing refuge to students to consume alcohol after a game. The man then said, “Well, I didn’t provide it.” The police then told the man that any future violations would result in the firmest enforcement action against him and the offending minors. The police retrieved four containers for evidence.

The Beach Reporter – September 29, 2005

Hermosa Beach - Crime Watch (9/29)

CAR BURGLARY. A car parked in the 1700 block of Pacific Coast Highway was reportedly burglarized between 10 p.m. Sept. 26 and 8 a.m. Sept. 27. The victim told police she parked and locked her car in an assigned space in an underground parking garage of her condominium complex. She returned to find a cut in the soft roof of her convertible car. The burglar(s) stole a bag containing the victim's employer's laptop valued at $2,000 and her sunglasses valued at $250.

STOLEN STEREO. A car stereo valued at $300 was reportedly stolen from a car parked in the 1200 block of 20th Place between 2 p.m. Sept. 13 and 9:24 a.m. Sept. 27. The victim locked and parked his car on the street in front of his residence. When he later came out to move the car due to street sweeping, he noticed his driver's side door slightly ajar. The victim looked inside and noticed the car's glove compartment and center console had been ransacked and the stereo stolen.

IDENTITY THEFT. A Hermosa Beach man's name and Social Security number were reportedly used to fraudulently open up a Pacific Bell phone account in September 2000, which was later closed in July 2001. The man reported the incident Sept. 22. The man, who is an aerospace engineer, was upgrading his security clearance when he was advised that he had a past-due account with a collection agency that indicated to him he failed to pay his Pacific Bell account. The account was linked to two Los Angeles addresses.

CAR BREAK-INS. Two cars parked in a private garage in the 400 block of 11th Street were reportedly burglarized between 4 p.m. Sept. 21 and 6 a.m. Sept. 22. The victims parked their cars in their designated spaces and returned to find one window on each of their cars was smashed in. The burglar(s) stole two jackets valued at $130 from the first car and change from the second car. The cost to replace the windows is about $250 each.

STOLEN WALLET. A wallet containing cash, a driver's license and credit cars all valued at $450 was reportedly stolen out of a car parked in the 200 block of Ardmore Avenue between 10:30 p.m. Sept. 21 and 9 a.m. Sept. 22. The victim parked his car in the driveway and heard his alarm activated around 4:30 a.m. The victim thought it was a cat and ignored it. The next day he discovered his wallet and cellular phone missing. The burglar(s) had pried open a small window on the passenger's side.

The Beach Reporter – September 22, 2005

Hermosa Beach - Crime Watch (9/22)

PETTY THEFT. A car was reportedly burglarized in a parking structure in the first block of 14th Street between 10 p.m. Sept. 16 and 9 a.m. Sept. 17. The victim parked her car and does not believe she locked it. Upon her return she found her car ransacked and several items missing including a lamp, hat, jewelry and sunglasses. The surveillance tape from the parking structure recorded a man entering the garage and leaving with several shopping bags.

STOLEN CASH. Cash inside a purse left in the employee break room of a senior living house in the 1800 block of Pacific Coast Highway was reportedly stolen Sept. 14 between 1 and 4 p.m. The employee left her purse and upon her return found that $350 in cash had been stolen.

BROKEN WINDOW. An unknown person(s) reportedly threw a can of beer at a popout bay window in the 1400 block of Manhattan Avenue that broke it Sept. 11 at 12:30 a.m. The beer can opened inside the house and caused spillage in the kitchen. The replacement of the window is valued at $30.

IDENTITY THEFT. A unknown person (s) reportedly made two false charges to a bank account belonging to a business in the 2200 block of Pacific Coast Highway between June 3 and July 27. The business's bookkeeper noticed two unauthorized charges made to SBC Wireless in the amount of about $152 and $172. The business doesn't have an account with SBC and the charges have since been reversed.

LIFEGUARD BREAK-IN. The back station of the lifeguard headquarters in the 1300 block of The Strand and beach was reportedly burglarized between midnight and 11 a.m. Aug. 25. The door to the back station was pried open and the burglar(s) made off with a heavyweight jacket valued at $140 and two keys.

The Beach Reporter – September 15, 2005

Hermosa Beach - Crime Watch (9/15)

FORGERY. A person living in Texas attempted to deposit a fake check belonging to a person living in the 900 block of Prospect Avenue between Aug. 12 and Sept. 3. Several weeks ago, the victim received a phone call from an employee with a company Gold GBH who wanted to verify if the victim's check was good and gave the victim a check number. The victim checked the registry, noticed the check was still there and advised the employee that the check was no good. The victim said the employee seemed not very forthcoming and asked a lot of probing questions. It seemed strange that the employee would call at 9 p.m. about a business matter. A week later, the victim withdrew $3,000 from his account and deposited it with another bank. He learned that someone performed an online transfer from his savings account to checking account Aug. 23. He received a call from his bank's fraud department about a $30,000 check that was written from his checking account. The suspect deposited the check in person into a JP Morgan Chase bank account in Texas. The branch held the check, waiting for it to clear before releasing the funds and never released them.

CAR BURGLARY. A car parked in the 1700 block of Pacific Coast Highway was reportedly burglarized between 11 p.m. Sept. 10 and 9:50 a.m. Sept. 11. The victim told police he parked and locked his car, and returned to discover his driver's side door was unlocked. He noticed that the car stereo had been removed from his dash and placed in the driver's seat, and his iPod and its headphone were missing from a compartment under the stereo port. Both the center console and glove box had also been rifled through. The stolen property is valued at $450.

PETTY THEFT. A U-Haul box containing several items was reportedly stolen from the 600 block of Fourth Street between 11 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. Sept. 9. The victim told police she put three boxes outside her front door to be picked up. She later went outside to see if they had been picked up, and two were opened with their contents sitting outside and the third missing. The box contained a small suitcase and medication.

STOLEN BIKE. A mountain bike valued at $1,800 was reportedly stolen from a garage in the 2000 block of Prospect Avenue Sept. 8 between 7 and 10:30 p.m. The victim put the bike in his unlocked garage as the garage door failed to close. The victim thinks it was a possible malfunction.

BROKEN WINDOW. A large storefront window was reportedly smashed at a business in the 1400 block of Hermosa Avenue Sept. 7 at 7:03 p.m. The clerk working at the store heard a loud crash and noticed that the large plate glass window at the front of the store was smashed. At the time, the clerk noticed three young men with skateboards standing near the outside of the store.

The Beach Reporter – September 9, 2005

Hermosa Beach - Crime Watch (9/9)

PETTY THEFT. A woman reportedly stole money from a tip jar of a business located in the first block of Pier Avenue Aug. 31 at 12:30 p.m. The victim who works at the business was there when the suspect, whom she knows from high school, walked in and asked for another employee. The victim told the suspect that the employee was not there and the suspect became verbally abusive. The victim told the suspect to leave or she would call the police. The suspect left, then returned a short time later and continued her verbal assault against the victim and threatened her with statements like "I should sock you in the face." The suspect wanted to buy some ice cream but the victim said she had the right to refuse service to anyone. The suspect then reached into the tip jar, removed $6 and said, "See ya, b----!" The victim said this suspect had threatened her in the past.

BATTERY. A woman reportedly assaulted another woman in the 1500 block of Hermosa Avenue Sept. 4 at 3:46 a.m. One of the women was sitting on a planter with her legs outstretched partially blocking the sidewalk, and saw the suspect and her friends walk toward her. As the suspect approached, she told the victim, "Get out of my way." When the victim didn't immediately move her legs, the suspect pushed them out of the way when she walked by. The victim and her friend took exception, became verbally confrontational with the suspect and asked her why the suspect kicked her legs out of the way. The suspect then began calling the victim names. The victim then called police on her cell phone as the suspect and friends began to walk away. When the victim told the suspect, she turned around and hit the victim on the forehead three times with a closed fist. The victim placed the suspect under a private persons' arrest.

GRAND THEFT. Several items left locked at two closed-down tents that were part of the Fiesta Hermosa were reportedly stolen between 6:30 p.m. Aug. 4 and 8 a.m. Aug. 5 in the 100 block of Pier Avenue. Two merchants at the event closed down and locked their merchandise tents as the event came to an end. They both returned the next morning to find items missing. One merchant lost a purse valued at about $2,900 and another lost two T-shirts valued at $100.

GRAND THEFT. A person on a bicycle reportedly stole a bag out of a man's hand who was visiting from Denmark in the 800 block of Hermosa Avenue Sept. 3 at midnight. The victim was walking, holding the bag in his left hand, when the suspect rode up from behind him and grabbed the bag from him. The victim yelled, "Hey stop!" but the suspect continued. The bag contained an iPod, a cell phone and jacket all valued at $1,100.

The Beach Reporter – September 1, 2005

Hermosa Beach - Crime Watch

BICYCLE THEFT. A man was reportedly approached by an unknown woman who accused him of stealing his own bicycle in the 800 block of The Strand Aug. 17 at 7:30 a.m. The man filed an incident report with police and told officers that he bought the bike from a person in Newport Beach in April 2004. He repaired the bike to working condition and in April 2005 it was stolen from the patio area of his home in the first block of Sixth Street. It was missing for a week when one of the man's friends recognized the bike sitting in a patio in the first block of Eighth Street. The friend told the victim, recovered it for him and returned it to him. The man was then riding on The Strand when a woman who accused him of stealing her roommate's bike approached him. The man tried to explain but the woman refused to listen.

FRAUDULENT USE OF ATM CARD. An ATM card of a woman living in the 2000 block of Borden Avenue was reportedly used in a fraudulent way Aug. 10. The woman, who is 91, is living with her son who is taking care of her financial records. While he is at work, the woman is being cared for by caregivers with Home Instead Senior Care. She has had a total of four caregivers in the last several months. The man kept his mother's ATM card and its pin number in his dresser drawer along with some cash since April 2004. The man moved the cash to conceal it better, and left the ATM card and the pin in the same place. The man provided bank statements of his mother's checking account to his accountant who noticed discrepancies in the account activity and ATM transactions - numerous ones that were not authorized. The man suspects the employees of Home Instead and has since cancelled the account.

THREATS. A man reportedly called his sister living in the 600 block of Eighth Place and told her he was going to kill her after she reported him to local authorities Aug. 30 at 10:30. The woman called the Sheriff's Department in Lake Isabella to report that her sister-in-law was using drugs. She is concerned because the couple has a 5-day-old baby at their house. The brother called to tell his sister that he had been arrested for being under the influence of drugs and the child was removed from the home. He said, "I'm going to kill you. Payback is a bitch." He was coming to see her face to face for a conversation. The baby was returned to the home and the man was released from jail. The victim told police that he has threatened her in the past but has never followed through on it.

CAR BURGLARY. A car parked in the driveway in the 1500 block of Loma Drive was reportedly burglarized between 10:30 p.m. Aug. 14 and 9 a.m. Aug. 15. The victim parked the car in the driveway and could have left it unlocked. He noticed several items missing but expensive items were left untouched.

VANDALISM. A 2003 Chevrolet Yukon was reportedly vandalized near Hermosa Avenue and 31st Street between 11 p.m. Aug. 21 and 8 a.m. Aug. 22. The vandal(s) broke the car's rear glass hatch window that will cost an estimated $500 to replace.

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