Altadena sheriffs confirm four burglaries or attempted break-ins this afternoon, three of them in the same southeast Altadena neighborhood
Sgt. Yolanda Palomo of the Altadena Sheriff's Station said that two burglaries took place on Layton St. and one on New York Dr. On one of the Layton burglaries, the burglar broke glass to gain access to the house; in the other two, the doors were kicked in.
Items stolen were electronics, camera equipment, and money. Jewelry was taken in the New York Dr. burglary, but a laptop was left behind, apparently because the thief got spooked. Palomo said.
Palomo said that a neighbor called in the New York Dr. burglary after they heard the door being kicked in.
On Santa Rosa, a burglar broke door glass but couldn't get in.
Sheriffs wouldn't release a description of a suspect, but one of the victims in the southeast wave emailed us with a description of a "Young African American teen, talking on cell phone with backpack, seen walking the neighborhood shortly before the break-ins," and said the deputies told her "Sheriffs feel like the teen was likely on the phone with a lookout nearby."
Palomo said that there is "a lot of enforcement there tonight," with Special Enforcement Bureau deputies and extra patrols. A crime analyst has also visited the sites, trying to pull footprints and other prints left behind.
Altadena has been hit by a rash of burglaries in the past year, and Palomo said that enforcement is a top priority. "We have arrested several people ... we've really tried to attack this problem."
