Valencia, Zone 5

Last week, the following Part 1 crimes occurred in Zone 5 (Valencia):

A robbery occurred near the 25800 block of Bellis Drive.  A female victim was walking to her car early in the morning.  The suspect approached the victim and yelled at her “Give me your keys”.  The victim, fearing for her safety, screamed and dropped her keys.   A man out for an early morning walk, heard the victims screams and turned around, to head back towards her.  As the man approached the victim, the suspect appeared out of the bushes, naked, and asked the adult male what just happened.  The suspect appeared incoherent and kept apologizing for what he did.  He was detained until patrol deputies arrived and could take him into custody.  If was later learned the suspect walked away from a medical facility after being treated for a mental condition.  The suspect was booked for robbery at Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Station.

A residential burglary occurred near the 24000 block of Valencia Boulevard.   The victim returned home and noticed her front door had been pried open.  She entered her apartment and noticed numerous personal items missing.  A witness at the location saw a male white, 6’10”, wearing a black shirt and black pants, walking away from the location towards a delivery truck.

An attempted Residential Burglary occurred near the 27800 block of Springtree Place.  The victim stated she returned home and noticed her downstairs window had been pushed wide open and the screen to her window was laying on the ground under the window.   She stated nothing was missing from inside her residence.

A vehicle theft occurred near the 26000 block of Avenue Hall.  Unknown Suspect(s) stole the victim’s 2001, Chevy Cargo van, white in color, California license number 6M66689.

A grand theft occurred near the 24200 block of Valencia Boulevard.   The victim was inside the location doing homework on her laptop.  She had her cell phone, purse and laptop on her desk.  She asked an unknown female to watch her stuff as she walked out to her car to grab an item.  When she returned, her purse and cell phone were gone.  She asked the unknown female if she saw anyone remove her items and she stated she did not.  No suspect information is available at this time.

This past week we had a total of seven shoplifting crimes occur in the Valencia area.  Out of the seven, we arrested five suspects from these incidents.  Each case is currently being investigated by Santa Clarita Valley Detective Bureau.

It looks like we have improved in vehicle burglaries in our Zone, but continues to be a problem station wide.  I would like to take a moment of your time to remind you on how to better protect yourself and your vehicle.

1. Lock your car. Approximately 50 percent of all vehicles stolen were left unlocked.

2. Take your keys. Nearly 13 percent of all vehicles stolen had the keys in them.

3. Never hide a second set of keys in your car. It might seem like a good idea, but thieves know all the hiding places.

4. Park in well-lit areas. Over half of all vehicle thefts occur at night, and thieves don’t like the spotlight.

5. Park in attended lots. Auto thieves don’t like witnesses either.

6. When you park in an attended lot, leave only the ignition and door key. Don’t give the attendant easy access to your glove box and trunk. (If you use the same key for your trunk and glove box as for the door, have one of them changed.) Upon returning, check the tires, spare and battery to ensure they are the same as those you had when you parked.

7. Never leave your car running unattended, not even if you’ll only be gone for a minute. Vehicles are commonly stolen at convenience stores, gas stations and ATMs. Many vehicles are also stolen on cold mornings when the owner leaves the vehicle running to warm it up.

8. Completely close car windows when parked. Don’t make it easier for the thief to enter your vehicle.

9. Don’t leave valuables in plain view. Why make your car a more desirable target to thieves?

10. Park your vehicle with wheels turned toward the curb. Many car thieves use tow trucks to steal vehicles, so make your car tough to tow away. Wheels should also be turned to the side in driveways and parking lots so the vehicle can only be towed from the front.

11. If your vehicle is rear-wheel drive, back into your driveway. Rear wheels lock on four-wheel drive vehicles, making them difficult to tow. Front-wheel drive vehicles should be parked front-end first.

12. Always use your emergency brake when parked. In addition to ensuring safety, using the emergency brake makes your car harder to tow.

13. If you have a garage, use it. Parking your vehicle inside protects it from thieves as well as from Mother Nature.

14. When parking in a garage, lock the garage as well as your vehicle door. By locking both the garage and vehicle doors, you greatly improve the chances of deterring a thief.

15. Never leave the registration or title in your car. A car thief will use these to sell your stolen car. File the title at your home or office and carry your registration in your purse or wallet.

Please take these steps to help ensure you stay safe and keep yourself from becoming a victim.

Thank you, and feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Deputy Brian Heischuber

baheisch@lasd.org

661-255-1121 EXT. 5164

Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

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