Crime & Safety

Good Samaritan Helps Police Nab Theft Suspects

Long Beach officers were able to arrest a pair of youths for allegedly breaking into a car and stealing contents after a witness called 9-1-1.

A good Samaritan who observed an auto theft underway in a Long Beach parking lot acted quickly to report it and two suspects were swiftly arrested, said police.

"This is a perfect example of our community working with us to make Long Beach a safer place for everyone," Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman Nancy Pratt said in an e-mail. "This resident didn't hesitate to pick-up the phone and dial 9-1-1, and as a result, two thieves were removed from the street."

A person in a nearby high-rise looked down and watched Friday night as two people in a parking lot broke into a vehicle via a window, said Pratt. It was about 10 p.m. in the 700 block of East Ocean Avenue-about two miles from Livingston and Ocean fork in the Shore-and the witness saw where the pair of thieves ditched the goods before they fled, Pratt said.

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A quick call to 9-1-1 with suspect descriptions and directions on where the pair headed led to officers spotting two suspects near Linden and Shoreline Drive, which meet below Ocean Avenue, Pratt wrote.

Patrol officers arrested two boys matching the suspect description, one 14, the other 15, both from Los Angeles, and the stolen articles were found nearby and given back to their owner. located nearby and returned to their rightful owner

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Pratt credited the good Samaritan and added, "We will continue to encourage residents to immediately report any suspicious person or activity because it can make a difference." 


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