Police Beat, Week of March 16 and 23

By Thomas Schmit

March 17, 9:30 a.m., Officers responded to the bicycle racks near the Humanities Building regarding a suspicious person call. Officers contacted a male student who was attempting to remove a part from a bicycle that was locked to the rack. The student claimed that the bike was abandoned, and that he was attempting to remove the crankshaft to install it on his bike later. The officers informed the student that taking pieces from the bike, even if it appeared abandoned, was illegal, and released the student with a verbal warning.

March 19, 11 a.m., A grand theft report was made at the station. A representative of the Coca-Cola company stated that a vending machine was missing from an area of the field house. There are currently no witnesses to the theft.

March 20, 9:30 a.m., An officer responded to the second level of Lot H regarding a traffic collision. A female student driving down the ramp to the first level turned to avoid two pedestrians in the road, lost control of her vehicle, and collided with a parked car.

March 24, 5:30 a.m., Officers responded to the auditorium regarding a suspicious circumstances call. A pair of female custodians noticed lights on near the ticket box office that should have been off. When officers arrived to investigate the scene, they observed pry marks in the wooden door to the ticket box office, along with wood chips on the floor beneath it, and the door had been pried open. A second set of doors, behind the first, that lead into the ticket box office proper, also had pry marks, but had not been successfully opened. Another office in the vicinity also had obvious pry marks, along with fresh wood chips beneath it. Officers observed a unattended bike in the north patio, that was not locked. Officers moved the bike to another area of the North Patio, and secured it with handcuffs. While they continued to search the area, officers observed a male subject attempt to mount the bicycle and leave the area. Officers detained the subject, who was a non-student. Officers confirmed that the bike belonged to the subject, and conducted a search of the subject, where they discovered a screwdriver in his possession. The subject refused to speak with officers, and was arrested with probable cause on suspicion of commercial burglary, and transported to Torrance Police Department for booking.

March 24, 10 a.m., Officers responded to the Student Activities Center regarding a possible stalking report. A female student had recently broken up with her boyfriend, and had had issues with him off campus. She supplied ECPD with a temporary restraining order in case the ex-boyfriend attempted to come on campus. Officers advised the student of the emergency phone system on campus, as well as the number to directly reach ECPD dispatch.

March 25, 9:30 a.m., An officer responded to the shops regarding a grand theft report. A faculty member reported that a welder valued at $2400 went missing. There are currently no witnesses to the theft.

March 26, 7 p.m., A battery report was made at the ECPD station. A female student stated that a male student in her class slapped her phone out of her hand during a verbal altercation. The male student, when interviewed, stated that it was an accident, and the female student declined to press charges. However, the male student was referred to the director of student development regarding his actions.

March 27, 8:30 a.m., Officers responded to the health center regarding a medical aid call. A female student complained of severe abdominal pain. The student was transported to a local area hospital for treatment.

March 27, 10:50 a.m., Officers responded to a traffic collision report on Redondo Beach Boulevard, just west of the bridge. A male student stated that he was driving west bound on the peripheral road by Lot H when his gas pedal became stuck, and he lost control of his vehicle. The vehicle swerved left, drove over the embankment, and landed in the middle of the number two lane of Redondo Beach Boulevard. In the process, the car flipped, landing driver side door down. Paramedics were called, but the driver did not suffer any significant injuries, and was released.

March 31, 3:45 p.m., A male student made a theft report at the ECPD station. The student stated that a poster that belonged to his club, which had been taped to a brick wall near the library had been stolen. There are currently no witnesses to the theft.

March 31, between the hours of 2 and 5 p.m., Two bicycles were reported stolen from the campus. The first was taken from the bike racks beside the Humanities Building, while the second was locked to a pole near Lot C south. Police are currently reviewing security camera footage for leads.