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Crime & Safety

Lafayette Police Blotter: Car Burglaries, Brick House, and Skulkers

Lafayette police are following up on a string of car burglaries and other crimes which took place in their town recently.

Lafayette Police Blotter April 27 through May 2, 2011

Residential Burglary: "Door smashed, money stolen, and the house is a mess!"

Lafayette Police responded to a call on May 3 of a residential burglary in the 900 block of Dewing Avenue. When police arrived, the distraught woman told officers that some unknown suspects had smashed the front door and entered her apartment. The thieves ransacked the place causing miscellaneous damages estimated around $2,000 and also stole a cash sum of $5,450. Officers processed the outside of the apartment for fingerprints and were ready to go and work the inside when the victim requested they not enter the residence.

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Instead, officers continued to canvass the area and asked the neighbors if they had seen any suspicious activities. They were unable to locate any possible witnesses.

 

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Multiple Auto Burglaries: Lost bag and warning to long-term parkers on Pleasant Hill Road

A sudden surge of auto burglaries has police concerned.

On May 2 at 9:12 a.m., police responded to a report of an auto burglary in the 900 block of Thompson Road. The owner of the car told police she noticed the passenger window of her Volkswagen Beetle was broken when she walked towards the parking garage of her apartment complex in the morning. She said she did not think the thieves entered the car because nothing else besides the black bag on the front passenger seat was missing. Officers spoke to the manager of the apartment complex and learned the building's surveillance system may not have captured the incident.

The missing black bag had zippers all over the outside and was worth around $50, the damage to the car window was estimated around $200.

On the same day at 10 p.m., a Lafayette man in the 900 block of Thompson Road called police to report vandalism to his Toyota Camry which had been parked in the garage of his apartment complex. The man told officers someone broke the front passenger window but nothing was taken out of the car. The estimated damage to his window was $200.

On April 29 police determined that between 6 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., someone smashed the window and broke into a Mitsubishi Montero SUV parked in the marked parking spaces on the west side of the roadway on Pleasant Hill Road.

The owner of the car, a 21-year-old Concord man, told officers he had locked his car before leaving but when he got back, the car alarm was activated. He said the thieves ransacked the car and took some of his valuables. Officers dusted the car for fingerprints but with negative results; they also noticed a “fresh pry mark” on the left side frame of the front passenger side. There are no leads, suspects or witnesses in this case.

Just down the road, police were investigating yet another car burglary off of Pleasant Hill Road underneath the Highway 24 overpass on the same day. A Toyota 4Runner SUV also had the front passenger side window smashed and was also ransacked by thieves. The owner of the 4Runner, a 31-year-old Port Costa man, told officers he locked his car at 6:15 a.m. and left it parked all day until he got back at 6:15 p.m. Officers dusted the car for latent fingerprints but found nothing. The estimated cost of the broken window was $250 and the owner said he was missing items totaling $810.

 

Assault with Deadly Weapon: Brick

At 5:50 p.m. on April 27, Lafayette Police were summoned on a report of assault with a deadly weapon in the 1400 block of Sunset Loop

A 45 year-old Walnut Creek woman, who was with the victim and witnessed the incident, told officers that a man had thrown a brick at the 53 year-old resident, injuring her left arm. According to police reports, the assailant proceeded to throw another brick through the front door before fleeing the scene. When officers contacted the 31 year-old Walnut Creek man believed responsible for the assault, he hung up on the officers and denied any wrongdoing.

Police later arrested the man and charged him for assault with a deadly weapon.

 

Residential Burglary: "Wish you were here."

On April 28, Lafayette police were summoned to a home in response to a report of a residential burglary in the 1100 block of Hillcrest Drive. Officers arrived at the home and discovered someone had smashed out the front door windowpane trying to get in to the home. When this attempt failed, the thieves had gone to the back sliding glass door and smashed it in order to gain access.

The officers noticed the thieves had opened several drawers but major electronic items were left behind. The exact loss is still unknown, since the family is currently out of the country.

 

Trespass

On April 28, Lafayette police were notified of trespassing in the 3600 block of Mount Diablo Boulevard. According to police reports, somewhere between 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. the next morning, someone kicked in the door of the rented storage unit and had broken in to the facility. A staff member of J.F. Kapnek Charitable Trust went to check in on the storage unit on April 29, and discovered the trespassing. After officers inspected the unit to see if there were any missing items, they determined nothing had been taken and the case was closed.

J.F. Kapnek Charitable Trust is a non-profit group raising money and needed items for children in Africa. The storage unit contained donations ready to be sent to Zimbabwe.

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