Police on Friday sought the public’s help in finding a man wearing Ray-Ban sunglasses who was seen on convenience store surveillance video using a credit card stolen during one of two break-ins at the Park La Brea apartment complex.
The suspect subsequently used the credit card at a restaurant and a game store, according to police.
The first crime occurred around 1:40 p.m. on March 10 in the 400 block of Curson Avenue. The occupant heard something from the bedroom, went to investigate and saw the suspect inside the living room holding gloves and a key, according to a Los Angeles Police Department statement.
The resident asked the suspect what he was doing there, and the suspect pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the victim and ordered him to back away, then fled on foot empty-handed.
The second crime occurred about 4:45 p.m. April 28 in the 500 block of Burnside Avenue. A woman found the suspect inside her apartment looking through the mail.
“The victim immediately recognized the suspect was Korean, and asked him in Korean if he was lost,” according to the LAPD statement. “The suspect said yes in English and fled out the front door. The victim discovered her credit card was missing from the desk.”
In both cases, the victims told police that their doors were locked and believe the suspect was in possession of a key to the apartments. There were no signs of forced entry, but it does not appear the suspect is a staff member at Park La Brea, according to police.
The suspect was described as a 6-foot-tall Korean man in his 20s weighing about 160 pounds, with black hair. He was last seen wearing a black shirt, blue jeans and a pair of gold-framed Ray-Ban aviator-style sunglasses.
The LAPD’s Asian Crime Unit asked anyone with information regarding the burglaries to call (213) 486-5350.
— City News Service