7:35am | Police are advising Long Beach residents to keep their doors and windows locked after three similar break-ins have taken place in Belmont Shore over the last two months. In all three incidents, unknown men entered residences while a woman was home alone, and they quickly left when the victim began to scream.
The first incident occurred on July 24 near the area of Termino Avenue and 2nd Street when a black man in his late 20’s to early 30’s around 5-foot-6 entered a home, while the second took place on September 4 in the same vicinity when a black man about 30 years old and 5-foot-8 did the same thing. Police believe these cases may be related. Just this week, a third incident occurred when a 5-foot-6 Hispanic male between 30 and 40 years old entered a residence near 2nd Street and Bayshore. Police are trying to determine a motive since all assailants fled when the residents inside began to yell.
While these incidents may be related, they are far from unique. There were 196 residential burglaries in July of this year alone, in areas all around the city, representing a 15.3% increase over residential burglaries in July 2009 according to Long Beach Police Department data.
And Belmont Shore is hardly the only part of Long Beach that needs better security. The areas cited by Police in this press release accounted for just eight of the 196 residential burglaries that occurred during this past July.
In addition to keeping doors and windows locked, authorities advise residents to purchase ventilation devices that will allow airflow while doors and windows are closed, install security lights with motion sensors outside the residence, and keep bushes trimmed so there are fewer places for criminals to hide. Also be aware of escape routes in your home in case it becomes necessary, and report any suspicious activity to 9-1-1.
If you have any information available on the crimes listed above, or any of the 196 residential burglaries that occurred in July, contact Crime Stoppers at 1.800.222.TIPS (8477) or visit lacrimestoppers.org.