A man was in custody Wednesday for allegedly stealing 57 Apple laptop computers from a UCLA research library and the student union store.
Seyed Ali Pakizehkar Hesari, 29, was arrested Tuesday and booked on suspicion of burglary, university officials said. Hesari was being held in lieu of $40,000 bail pending arraignment Thursday at the Airport Courthouse.
Hesari is not currently enrolled at the university, but had been enrolled as recently as March, studying history, according to UCLA.
Campus police recovered more than 50 stolen laptops late Tuesday when officers served a search warrant at Hesari’s residence in the 6900 block of Melrose Avenue, the university reported.
“Acting on a tip about a man on campus matching the description of a burglary suspect … (police officers) made contact with Hesari in a recreation center on campus,” according to a UCLA statement, which said he “was wearing sweatpants and shoes similar to those worn by a suspect in surveillance footage.”
Police detained him for questioning about 1 p.m. Tuesday, and executed a search warrant late that night.
Hesari is accused in burglaries in which laptops were stolen from the equipment loan room of the Charles E. Young Research Library early Saturday morning, and from the Ackerman Union computer store on Sept. 28, UCLA reported.
Fifty-five Apple laptops with an estimate value of $33,000 were stolen on Saturday, and two Apple laptops were stolen on Sept. 28, UCLA reported.
In Saturday’s theft, the burglar smashed an east-facing ground level window to gain access to the library building, then smashed the window on a door to the room where laptops are loaned to patrons.
“This arrest is an example of not only exemplary work by UCLA police patrol officers and detectives, but also our partnership with the campus community to apprehend a suspect who has been targeting campus property,” said UCLA police Chief James D. Herren.
— City News Service