Crime & Safety

Police Blotter: Price Tag Switching Bandit Strikes Again

A man who is allegedly switched price tags at local stores to pay lower prices was apprehended by police this week.

From the Monrovia Police Department:

During the last seven-day period, the Police Department handled 480 service events, resulting in 78 investigations.

Residential Burglary
March 19 at 12:16 a.m., a residential burglary was reported in the 100 block of North Grand. The victims left for the weekend on Saturday, March 16, at 5 p.m. They returned home on March 19 around 12:00 a.m. to discover their residence had been burglarized. The home was ransacked and several items were missing, including a computer and miscellaneous jewelry. The investigation is continuing.

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Commercial Burglary
On March 14, the Monrovia Police Department took a burglary report at a business in the 1600 block of South Mountain involving a suspect seen switching price tags. The suspect switched the price tag on a higher-priced welder, took it to the cashier, and paid a lower price for the item. He was seen the day before attempting this same crime at the Glendora store, but an alert cashier recognized the discrepancy and stopped the transaction until she could verify the price. The subject walked out of the store, indicating he would return, but did not. A flyer with a photograph of the suspect was issued by the business.

On March 19 at 1:11 p.m., the suspect went to the Monrovia store again. He was seen switching the price tag on a welder and placing a homemade barcode that indicated a lower price on the item. Officers arrived as the suspect was paying for the merchandise at the lower price, and he was detained. The officers recognized the suspect from the flyer. He was arrested and taken into custody.

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