Police Blotter: Biting a Man, Striking an Officer

This week a man bit another man during a fight before striking an officer, a man got caught trying to conceal stolen property under his pants, and a stolen Amazon Kindle was recovered. Read on for more.

The following information was provided by the Monrovia Police Department:

During the last seven-day period, the police handled 518 service events, resulting in 114 investigations.  Following are the last week's highlighted issues and events:

Biting a man, punching an officer

On September 29 at 8:41 p.m., callers reported a fight in the 400 block of Hurstview. Two male subjects were arguing and began to fight. The suspect moved aggressively toward the victim, and the victim struck the suspect once in the head to defend himself. The suspect then grabbed the victim and viciously bit the victim multiple times causing visible wounds that may require further treatment. Officers arrived and detained both subjects. While being detained, the suspect suddenly raised his arms in an attempt to go after the victim again and struck the officer in the face with his arm. The suspect was arrested and taken into custody without further incident. The officer was not injured. 

Bumping police while drunk

On September 30 at 1:58 a.m., officers observed a vehicle straddling lanes while sitting at the light on Duarte at Myrtle. They watched as the light cycled three times without the driver moving. The officers approached the car and observed the driver slumped over in his seat. They alerted the driver and he jolted awake. They told him to turn the car off, but he put it in neutral and the car rolled slowly back and bumped the police unit behind it. No damage was sustained after the slight bump between vehicles. The driver was determined to be under the influence of alcohol and arrested.

Fight in progress

On September 30 at 2:37 a.m., callers advised dispatch a fight was in progress in the 300 block of Norumbega. Officers arrived and detained four subjects. They determined the subjects were family members and had been involved in a heated discussion, which resulted in one family member getting extremely upset. As they tried to get him back in the car they had been driving in, he resisted them. The investigation revealed that no crime had occurred and there were no injuries, and no one desired prosecution.

Commercial burglary

On September 30 at 8:52 p.m., police responded to a business in the 500 block of West Huntington regarding a burglary. Store loss prevention observed a male and female subject enter the store. The male subject selected a pair of shorts and put them on under his pants. He then left the store without paying. He went to a car outside the store and waited. The female concealed about $400 worth of jewelry on her person and entered the dressing room. Officers arrived and detained the male suspect, locating the stolen property. The female continued to shop and was seen removing tags and concealing more items. The female was detained inside the store. All of the items she had removed tags from were concealed in a bag she was carrying. Neither subject had money or any means of paying for the items. After review of the facts and interviews with the suspects, they were both arrested and charged with commercial burglary.

Vandalism

On October 4 at 11:12 a.m., a city employee reported vandalism at a park in the 300 block of East Lime. An officer responded and found the suspect(s) had written gang graffiti at several locations throughout the park. Investigation continuing.

Vehicle tampering

On October 4 at 3:15 p.m., an officer responded to a residence in the 700 block of South California. The victim reported that her white Honda, which was parked in the rear carport, had been tampered with during the night.

Stolen truck without plates

On October 4 at 3:33 p.m., an officer was dispatched to a residence in the 1400 block of South Shamrock regarding a stolen vehicle. The reporting party last saw the vehicle on Sunday, October 2. The vehicle is a Black, Chevy Silverado truck with no license plates on it.

Stolen Kindle

On October 5 at 3:30 a.m., an officer conducted a traffic stop on a subject at Foothill and Mountain for a traffic violation. The officer obtained consent to search the vehicle from the solo occupant. A Kindle electronic book was found, prompting a suspicious story from the driver. Evidence indicated the device belonged to a female subject from Duarte. The female subject was contacted and confirmed her Kindle was reported stolen to the Sheriff's Department a week prior. The suspect was arrested for receiving stolen property.

Meth pipe and other suspicious objects

On October 5 at 4:50 a.m., an officer stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation at Foothill and Mountain. He contacted the two male occupants, who said they were from Covina. The subjects had no reason to be in the area at that time of the morning. The driver was driving on a suspended license and was found to be on parole for receiving stolen property. He had a large butcher knife in the door panel of the driver's side door. The passenger was found to be in possession of a methamphetamine pipe. The vehicle was searched and the following suspicious items were found: A realistic-looking black pellet pistol, bandanas, a baseball bat, and both subjects had latex gloves in their possession. State parole was contacted. The passenger was arrested for possession of narcotics paraphernalia and the vehicle was impounded. Investigation continuing.

Detective Bureau Case Follow-up

Stolen bikes recovered

On the morning of October 1, an officer and eight police explorers canvassed an area of Monrovia in an attempt to locate the victim of and crime, where two bicycles were stolen and a suspect was arrested. They covered a large portion of the northeastern part of town handing out flyers and speaking with residents. The area covered streets east of Canyon and north of Foothill. At noon, a subject from the 200 block of Valle Vista called to report he had arrived home and found the flyer in his mailbox. He reported that he had two bicycles stolen from his porch on September 16, 2011. He stated that the bikes had been secured with a blue cable lock that was cut some time during the night. He was able to describe the colors of the bicycles from a black and white photograph he was shown. The cable lock was recovered by the officer and a supplemental report completed. The bicycles will be returned to the owner.

Neighborhood Watch Report

Beginning November 1, 2011, the Monrovia Police Department's Neighborhood Watch Report will be available on the City of Monrovia website, www.cityofmonrovia.org, under the Police Department section.