San Marino Burglary Spree Has Police On High Alert

SAN MARINO (CBSLA.com) – More than two dozen burglaries in the San Marino area so far this year has prompted authorities to increase patrols and ask residents to be more cautious.

San Marino police reports that there have been 25 residential burglaries and six attempted burglaries between January and March. The number of burglaries marks a 38 percent increase over the same period last year, when there were 18. There has also been an increase throughout the entire San Gabriel Valley.

"It's been a dramatic increase," San Marino police Sgt. Tim Tebbetts told KCAL9 Thursday.

On March 4, four suspects were arrested on burglary charges thanks to a neighbor who reported suspicious activity, police said.

No one has been home during any of the burglaries. However, Tebbetts said some of the suspects who have been arrested are believed to be gang members so the burglars should be considered dangerous. The peak time for the burglaries has been between the hours of 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.

San Marino police released surveillance video of some the burglaries and are asking for the public's help.

"Even though a lot of them are wearing hoodies and trying to protect their identity, somebody knows who they are," Tebbetts said. "And if you can recognize that person, the way they walk, piece of clothing that they're wearing, anything that's going to beneficial for us to even take a look at is going to help us."

Tebbetts says if you see something unusual taking place, don't approach the person, just contact police.