Catalytic Conveter Thefts
DETAILS: Since Thursday, August 12th, there have been 10 incidents wherein catalytic converters have been removed during early morning hours from 1994-2004 model Toyota Tacomas and Toyota 4-Runners parked in residential driveways and on residential streets. Click Here for the full Bulletin.
Traffic Collision - Elder Abuse Scam
DETAILS: On Wednesday, June 23 at about 1:00 PM, the Torrance Police Department received a call from a local bank. One of their customers was making a cash withdrawal and had related to the teller it was to pay for damages resulting from a minor traffic collision even though she did not realize she had hit the other vehicle. The bank staff recognized this could possibly be a scam and contacted us immediately. CLICK HERE for the full Bulletin.
Indecent Exposure Series
DETAILS: Since April 6, 2010, there have been four Indecent Exposure incidents in Torrance wherein the suspect targets pedestrian adult female victims in their mid - 20s, in the commercial areas west of Carson Street and Hawthorne Boulevard. The incidents are occurring weekdays between 5:00 pm and 9:30 pm. Three of the four victims have been foreign national flight attendants. In each of the incidents the victims have given similar accounts of the suspect approaching them in his vehicle with a piece of paper in his hand and asking for directions before exposing himself. CLICK HERE for the full Bulletin.
THIRD ROW SEAT AUTO BURGLARIES
DETAILS: Since 4/7/10, there have been seven incidents wherein third row seats (both singles and doubles) have been stolen from 2003-2007 General Motors SUVs (Denali, Escalade, Suburban, Tahoe and Yukon) after the door locks have been punched. As illustrated in the map above, vehs in commercial lots (daytime) and res areas (overnight) on or near Hawthorne Bl are being targeted; WED and weekends are most likely. CLICK HERE for the full Bulletin.
CHILD ANNOYING SUSPECT
DETAILS: On Wednesday, 4/28/10 at 4:00 pm, a 12-year old female juvenile began walking home alone from HULL MIDDLE SCHOOL, 3420 229th Place, due to the fact all other students had already left school. She walked W/B on 229th St and noticed the above depicted suspect driving slowly E/B 229th St at Madison and making eye contact with her. She felt uneasy, put her head down and started to walk home faster; when she looked back, the suspect was gone. As she approached Samuel, she noticed the suspect was again traveling E/B on 229th St. The vehicle passed by slowly again and stopped approximately 20' behind her. CLICK HERE for the full Bulletin.
RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY SERIES
APRIL 9, 2010
Over the past several months, the City of Torrance has experienced an increase of daytime residential burglaries. The most common method of this increased trend seems to be where a suspect knocks on the door to the residence to see if anyone is home. If no one answers the door, the suspect walks to the rear of the house and forcibly enters via a rear door or window. Once inside, the suspect ransacks the residence and takes items that are easy to flee with (i.e. cash, jewelry, video games, laptop computers, etc). The suspect will make several trips to an awaiting vehicle, then flee the area with another suspect driving the car.
We are asking our community to be more aware of people in their neighborhood who they do not recognize as residents of the block, and/or, individuals acting suspicious.
For example, in two of our recent daytime burglaries, neighbors saw a subject in a neighbor's backyard that they did not recognize as a resident of the house and did not call us. Both of these houses were broken into. The suspets will also use ploys to justify their presence in your neighborhood. They may pretend to be a solicitor of some type or act as if they are trying to find a "friend's" house.
If you can be a good witness, please get the suspect's description, the suspect vehicle description (a license plate would be great) and possibly a direction of travel if you see the vehicle leave the area. Please DO NOT confront any suspect(s) or ask them "what they are doing" or tell them that you are "calling the police."
Please call the Torrance Police Department (310-328-3456) regardless of how insignificant you feel a situation may be. This may result in an arrest of a burglar.
JEEP WRANGLER THEFTS
MARCH 30, 2010
DETAILS: Since the end of SEP '09, there have been 10 Jeep Wranglers stolen including multiple attempts to steal Jeep Wrangler's from commercial parking lots during daytime hours Monday through Friday in Torrance. CLICK HERE for the full Bulletin.
Please refer to any of the links above to familiarize yourself with some of the current crime trends we are experiencing or that we think you should be aware of. While these are not all of the types of crimes you may encounter, they are a useful tools to help make you and your possessions safer. If you have any questions or would like further information, please contact Community Affairs at Communityaffairs@torrnet.com
