Police Blotter: Counterfeit Bill Used to Buy Water at Arcadia Bowling Alley

For the period of Sunday, July 7th, through Saturday, July 13th, the Police Department responded to 927 calls for service of which 131 required formal investigations. The following is a summary report of the major incidents handled by the Department during this period.

Sunday, July 7:

Around 2:25 a.m., an officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for a broken head light in the area of Huntington Drive and La Cadena Avenue. An investigation revealed the driver was under the influence of marijuana and had a suspended license. The 26-year-old male driver was arrested and transported to the Arcadia City Jail for booking.

At about 11:19 a.m., an officer was dispatched to a traffic collision in the intersection of Baldwin Avenue and Longden Avenue. The driver of a white 2001 Volkswagon Beetle drove through the intersection on a red light and collided into another vehicle. She was transported to Huntington Memorial Hospital for treatment. The other driver and passengers required no medical attention.

Monday, July 8:

At approximately 2:04 a.m., an officer made consensual contact with a subject walking in the area of Colorado Place and Gate 5 of the Santa Anita Race Track. A records check revealed the subject had an outstanding misdemeanor warrant and was in possession of methamphetamine. The 37-year-old male was arrested and transported to the Arcadia City Jail for booking.

Just after 8:40 p.m., officers were dispatched to the area of Las Tunas Drive and Gilpin Way in regards to a call of shots fired. A lady was driving on Las Tunas Drive when her vehicle was hit by a BB. She stopped her vehicle and immediately called 9-1-1. Officers conducted an area check for possible suspects and located two suspicious subjects on the northwest side of Longley Way Elementary School, 2601 Longley Way. The suspects, both 18-year-old males, were in possession of a black case containing a BB gun. They were arrested and transported to the Arcadia City Jail for booking.

Officers found no damage to Longley Way Middle School. However, further investigation revealed the suspects were responsible for the vandalism that occurred at Dana Middle School, 1401 South First Avenue, on June 26th. The suspects used the same BB gun to shoot out numerous windows, which was estimated to be over $22,000 in damage.

Tuesday, July 9:

At about 5:35 p.m., an officer responded to Nordstrom at the Santa Anita Mall, 400 South Baldwin Avenue, in regards to a theft investigation. Two males of unknown age stole a watch display containing numerous “Michelle” watches and fled the location in a newer model Nissan Maxima. The incident was recorded on video surveillance.

Around 8:09 p.m., an officer responded to AMF Bowling Square, 1020 South Baldwin Avenue, in regards to a fraud investigation. A female subject purchased a bottle of water using a counterfeit twenty-dollar bill and fled the location. The suspect is described as approximately 30-years-old, 5’10” tall, 180 lbs., with long auburn hair and brown eyes, wearing a long green dress.

Wednesday, July 10:

Around 00:53 a.m., an officer was dispatched to the 1000 block of South Golden West Avenue in regards to a residential burglary report. Unknown suspect(s) forced entry through a window and fled undetected with three laptop computers. No evidence or witnesses were located.

At approximately 6:38 p.m., an officer was dispatched to JCPenney at the Santa Anita Mall, 400 South Baldwin Avenue, in reference to a theft report. The suspect concealed merchandise inside her purse and exited the store without making payment. The 22-year-old female was arrested and transported to the Arcadia City Jail for booking.

Thursday, July 11:

Shortly after 10:00 a.m., an officer was dispatched to a residence in the 2400 block of Florence Avenue in regards to a suspicious circumstances report. The resident explained that approximately one week ago, she received a phone call from an unknown male soliciting computer repair services. The resident expressed interest in the service; however, when she declined to give out her credit card information, the caller hung up.

On today’s date, an unknown male subject knocked on the resident’s front door and explained he was sent from AT&T to fix her computer. The resident was not expecting any service. She refused to open the door and eventually the subject left the location. The subject is described as a male, approximately 30-years-old, 5’7” tall, 150 lbs., with black hair, wearing an unknown color polo shirt and dark pants.

At about 1:14 p.m., an officer responded to the Arcadia Police Department front counter in regards to a fraud report. A representative of Foothill Federal Credit Union, 30 South First Avenue, reported that a male subject opened a checking account online and soon after deposited six checks which belonged to a Chase bank account. Over the course of one week, the suspect withdrew approximately $4,660 in cash from the credit union before each check was returned as unpaid. The officer ran a DMV check on the driver’s license number that was used to open the account and discovered it belonged to another person. Further investigation is being conducted by the Detective Bureau. 

Friday, July 12:

Around 7:34 a.m., an officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for a broken tail light on Las Tunas Drive, at Holly Avenue. The 45-year-old male driver was never issued a license. He was cited, released in the field, and his vehicle was impounded for 30 days.

Just after 5:05 p.m., an officer was dispatched to Alejandro Alcondez Mexican Grill, 57 Wheeler Avenue, in regards to an attempted burglary report. Video surveillance revealed three male suspects of unknown age and race walked toward the store and attempted to pry open the front door using an unknown tool. After they were unable to defeat the locking mechanism, they fled in a black or dark colored Land Rover. The suspects are described as wearing jackets with the hoods over their heads and gloves.

Saturday, July 13:

At approximately 10:31 a.m., an officer responded to the Nordstrom parking lot at the Santa Anita Mall, 400 South Baldwin Avenue, in regards to a suspicious vehicle. The officer inspected the vehicle which had two broken windows and determined it was possibly abandoned. The officer made contact with the registered owner via telephone who explained his son had permission to use the vehicle. Shortly after, the officer located the son nearby and discovered he was under the influence of a controlled substance. A vehicle search revealed the subject was also in possession of drug paraphernalia and had a suspended license. The 22-year-old male was arrested and transported to the Arcadia City Jail for booking. Just before 3:00 p.m., an officer was dispatched to Walgreens, 140 East Live Oak Avenue, regarding a theft investigation. An employee confronted a male subject as he concealed a package of headphones inside a used shopping bag. The subject elbowed the employee in the arm and ran out the location. Officers located the suspect nearby and attempted to transport him to the Arcadia City Jail for booking; however, while in transit, the suspect kicked out a rear window. He was transported to Arcadia Methodist Hospital for medical clearance.