Fingerprints helped Santa Monica police locate and arrest a 20-year-old Venice man on Friday, July 5 who had broken into a car and stolen belongings six weeks earlier.
This case began on May 30, 2013, when, at 7:50 pm a man walked into the Santa Monica Police Headquarters in order to report that his car had been broken into and some coins and tools had been stolen.
The victim resided in the 300 block of Bay Street.
He told officers that some time between May 26 and May 30, 2013 someone had entered his vehicle, which had been parked in his carport, and stolen the items.
A full report was taken, and forensic personnel dusted the vehicle for prints and other evidence.
On June 20, 2013, investigators assigned to the case received information that a latent fingerprint had been identified and a warrant was placed on the suspect, a 20-year-old resident of Venice.
On Friday, July 5, officers who were assigned to the Santa Monica Police Department’s Crime Impact Team went to the suspect’s residence in Venice and arrested him after they discovered a jack belonging to the victim inside.
The man was charged with burglary and his bail was set at $20,000.
Editor’s Note: These reports are part of a regular police coverage series entitled “Alert Police Blotter” (APB), which injects some minor editorial into certain police activities in Santa Monica. Not all of the Mirror’s coverage of incidents involving police are portrayed in this manner. More serious crimes and police-related activities are regularly reported without editorial in the pages of the Santa Monica Mirror and its website, smmirror.com.
