Suspects in an El Porto vehicle burglary were nabbed and arrested last week, the Manhattan Beach Police Department has announced.
On
December 10, the MBPD was
made aware of a vehicle burglary that occurred in the El Porto parking lot.
Officers
were able to obtain surveillance video of that burglary. The video and investigative efforts led to the
identification of
two adult male suspects and their respective vehicles.
On
December 20, at approximately 10:00 a.m., MBPD Detectives observed
the two identified suspects enter the El Porto parking lot in separate
vehicles. Both suspects
were detained by MBPD detectives as they attempted to exit the El Porto
lot and they were subsequently arrested for burglary-related charges.
The suspects have bonded out of custody, and the case will be presented to the Los Angeles County Districts Attorney’s Office, said the MBPD in a statement.
"Surfer Burgs" Plague El Porto
Vehicle
burglaries occurring in the El Porto area are referred to as “Surfer
Burgs” because the victims, typically surfers, “hide” their vehicle key
in or around their vehicle, or place their key into a lock box affixed
to their vehicle prior to heading into the water
to surf.
While the victims are gone, suspect(s) who have been watching
where surfers hide the key will retrieve it, and unlock and enter the
victim’s vehicle. The suspects steal the victim’s belongings including
their cellular phone and wallet.
The
suspect(s) then access the victim’s cellular phone, search for personal
information, and then use the victim’s credit cards to make high-end
purchases at retail establishments.
The average victim suffers
a loss of approximately $30,000, with some victims experiencing a loss
of over $100,000, according to MBPD.
MBPD holds an outreach effort at El Porto parking lot in November 2021.
In November 2021, MBPD held a safety outreach program at El Porto parking lot.
At the time, MBPD Captain Christian Eichenlaub told MB News that safer options available for stowing your keys include waterproof cases that can be taken into the water, or lockbox-type devices similar to what real estate agents use to keep keys safe.
