Crime & Safety
Chased from 1 Car Break-In, Suspect Tries Another
If a criminal is seen in the act, he usually leaves the area in a hurry. But not this dude, who just tried it again a few blocks away, with cops crawling all over the place.
It is rare that police catch smash-and-grab criminals who bash in someone's car window, snatch something and run.
But this guy got greedy and clumsy: He was seen and chased away from one car break-in, and while police were combing the area, he tried another car job and again was seen in the act.
And after that, he was quickly rounded up by Tosa patrol officers and arrested.
At 8:04 a.m July 14, a resident of the 2300 block of 63rd Street was standing in his kitchen when he heard a loud "thud" and looked out to see a man pounding a brick against the driver's side window of his car, parked out back.
The thief bashed out the window and reached inside, but the homeowner yelled at him, and he ran away without getting anything from the car.
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Sign up for the Patch NewsletterWhile a police officer was interviewing the victim – and other officers were searching the area – a second call came in. A resident of the 2600 block of 67th Street had just seen a man of the same description trying to break into his car there, and fleeing on foot when he was confronted.
Minutes later, a Tosa patrol officer spotted a car leaving the area in a hurry and pulled it over, and the driver matched the description given by both victims.
The suspect denied any part in car break-ins, but he had a passenger who, while not saying he had witnessed any crime, told police the driver had stopped and gotten out for a few minutes near each of the addresses of the break-ins.
To add to the evidence and perhaps seal the deal, police found shards of auto glass in the suspect's hair.
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