Three Burglary Suspects Charged, One Linked to Attack on Resident

A foiled break-in at a home on Kensington Road last week led to the arrests of three suspects tied to an earlier burglary, and one of those men is now linked to two other burglaries in December, police said.
Three men from Lincoln Heights — one 31 years old, the others 18 — were charged Friday in felony complaints filed by the district attorney’s office that included burglary, attempted burglary and possession of burglary tools, all stemming from the arrests by the San Marino Police Department on Wednesday, Jan. 15. One of the men was also charged in a second felony complaint that included two additional burglary charges and a count of home invasion, in relation to the December incidents.
The suspects pleaded not guilty on Friday and $250,000 bail was set for each of them for the first felony complaint; an additional $150,000 in bail was set for the suspect in the second complaint. They were all being held by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in a downtown L.A. facility as of press time.
According to the SMPD, the men were pulled over at 10:35 p.m. in the 1400 block of Kensington Road. Officers were called there minutes earlier by a homeowner who reported that someone had been trying all of the doors to the home and that multiple people were using flashlights outside.
“Somebody was home, heard a noise and went to investigate,” said Sgt. Candice Torres in a phone interview. “I’m assuming [the suspects] heard someone wake up and that’s why they fled.”
Officers reported finding a collection of jewelry in the suspects’ vehicle and linked the items to a burglary at a home in the 2100 block of El Molino Place that same night. Torres said that break-in happened at 8:14 p.m. The homeowner there reported coming home to discover that someone had cut through a window screen, opened the unlocked window and apparently reached in to unlock a door next to it. The home was ransacked and jewelry and electronics were reported stolen. It appeared the intruders also kicked open a door to the detached garage and ransacked that structure as well.
“Generally, our burglaries have been jewelry or stuff that they can easily pawn,” Torres added.
Further investigation identified one of the 18-year-olds as a suspect in two other December break-ins, in one of which a homeowner was attacked by the intruder, according to police.
A burglary was reported around 7:45 p.m. on Dec. 26 at a home in the 1300 block of Monterey Place. Hours later, at around 1:09 a.m. on Dec. 27, a homeowner in the 1200 block of Adair Street said he heard a noise and got out of bed. As he walked to his bedroom door, Torres said, the intruder opened it, striking the homeowner incidentally. The intruder then began punching the homeowner before fleeing, leaving visible wounds on the victim, Torres added.
Torres added investigators were continuing to explore whether any of the suspects are linked to other area break-ins. Anyone with any information is encouraged to contact Detective Kevin Cordischi at (626) 300-0726.
“We’re still working, so it’s an ongoing investigation,” Torres said.