Police blotter 2-17-17

Tuesday, February 7

A 69-year-old woman was walking out of the Claremont Village Wells Fargo at 10:30 a.m. when a man, described as an African-American, six feet tall and 200 pounds with black hair, approached her, grabbed her purse and escaped in a black four-door sedan, according to Lt. Mike Ciszek of the Claremont Police Department. The woman sustained an injury to her right finger. The man was last seen driving south on Indian Hill. Anyone with information is urged to call the Claremont police at (909) 399-5411.

Wednesday, February 8

A wannabe burglar got away with nothing after breaking into a Claremont Graduate University building on the 600 block of West Foothill Boulevard. Between 7:30 p.m. on February 7 and 9:15 a.m. on February 8, the burglar cut open a front screen window and entered the location. Police found no property loss.

**** 

A Covina man was arrested after getting caught red-handed with a stolen bicycle. Daniel Gutierrez, 19, and another suspect were contacted by police on the 200 block of East Bonita Avenue. When asked about the 21-speed Trek mountain bike, Mr. Gutierrez said it belonged to a friend. Surveillance footage from the scene showed Mr. Gutierrez and the other suspect cutting the bike lock and stealing the bike. He was arrested, but the other suspect escaped and is still at large. Police are not releasing information on him, pending an investigation.

****

Four Claremont businesses were broken into, but the burglars only got $10 overall. The first burglary occurred at the Cajun Crab on Auto Center Drive around 3:26 a.m., when a delivery driver noticed three suspects exiting the building, getting into a light-colored sedan and heading north on Indian Hill. Officers also determined through security footage that the thieves threw a cash register on the floor, but it did not open and nothing was taken. Officers discovered the front window at Mr. You Express next door had been smashed. Nothing was stolen from that business and it appears the burglars did not enter.

Two other burglaries were reported on Foothill Boulevard a short time later. Officers responded to an alarm at Supercuts on the 900 block of West Foothill Boulevard just after 5 a.m. When they arrived, they found a window smashed at the business and $10 taken from the register. Police then responded to another burglary at 9:22 a.m. at a business on the 600 block of West Foothill Boulevard. The burglar cut a screen to the front window and entered the business, but nothing was taken.

Thursday, February 9

Between 8 a.m. on February 8 and 10 a.m. on February 9, unidentified burglars reportedly entered a home on the 1500 block of Oxford through an unlocked front door and ransacked the house, Lt. Ciszek said. Among the items taken were $625 worth of jewelry, a $300 purse and a $592 camera and lens.

****

Police are looking for a woman with red hair who stole mail from a home on the 2400 block of Bonnie Brae. According to police, the woman placed a yellow flyer in the mailbox, took all the mail, and fled in a dark-colored car driven by an unidentified man. It is unknown what the flyer said.

Friday, February 10

A burglar easily got away with a purse from an unlocked car on the 200 block of Eagle Grove. Between 10 p.m. on February 9 and 8 a.m. on February 10, the thief entered through the home’s open garage door and snatched the $200 purse, which contained about $260 in cash and gift cards, plus a $250 key fob. There is no suspect information.

**** 

Claremont police found Danny Betancourt-Corona, 31, of La Verne fast asleep behind the wheel of his silver Ford Mustang while stopped in the middle of Arrow Highway and Indian Hill Boulevard. When officers arrived just after 2:30 a.m., Mr. Betancourt-Corona told officers he was coming home from a night club in Montclair. Not surprisingly, he was arrested for driving under the influence.

Monday, February 13

A woman was walking from her car to work on the 400 block of West Foothill Boulevard around 5:20 a.m. when a robber yelled at her from behind and demanded money. She complied, throwing an unknown amount of cash on the ground. The robber scooped up the cash and fled north. The victim was unable to give a description. Anyone with information should call the Claremont police.

—Matthew Bramlett

news@claremont-courier.com