Crime Report for October 2012

Note:   All suspects are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law.

Updated:   11/1/12

Teen’s Halloween Costume A Little Too Realistic

It was no joke when a teenager dressed as “The Joker” from “Batman,” for Halloween, was seen in front of John Burroughs High School on Wednesday, October 31.   Police officers responded to the school, located at 1920 W. Clark Ave., at 5:40 p.m.  They observed a male holding a gun in each hand.  Although the guns both had orange tips indicating that they were toys, they appeared to be real handguns.  For everyone’s safety, the male was ordered to the ground.  While he was being patted down for weapons, the officers found two knives in his pants pocket.

The 15 year-old was cited for bringing a weapon, in this case a knife with a blade longer than 2 ½ inches, onto school grounds.  The boy was released to his parents.

Man With 3 Prior Drunk Driving Convictions Arrested Again

On a night when the streets are filled with children in costumes going door to door, police were able to take suspected drunk driver off the streets.  Officers responded to the area of Kenwood St. and Jeffries Ave. shortly after 8 p.m., after receiving a report of a vehicle driving in the area without its lights on.  They stopped a red 1994 Toyota sedan.  The driver, Erick Miranda, 41, of Burbank, failed to pass a field sobriety test and was arrested for felony driving under the influence.  Miranda has three prior convictions in one year for DUI.  He was also driving with a suspended license.

Student Arrested For Selling Pot At School

A 14 year-old male student caught smoking marijuana in the boys’ bathroom Tuesday morning, October 30, told authorities at John Burroughs High School that he had purchased the pot from another student at school.  When the alleged seller was contacted, school officials recovered more suspected marijuana from his backpack.  The 16 year-old student admitted to selling the pot to the other student.

The younger student was cited for possession of less than 1 oz. of marijuana and released to his parents.  The 16 year-old boy was cited for possession of marijuana for sale, and also released to his parents.

‘Back Seat Bandits’ Strike Again

The infamous “Back Seat Bandits” are still out there, stealing the expensive third row seats out of SUV’s.   On Sunday, October 28, they struck at the Sear’s parking structure on First. St.  Sometime between 2:30 and 4 p.m., they punched the lock on the driver’s door of a 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe.  The seats are estimated at $1,200.

On Saturday, the third-row seats were taken from a Chevrolet Tahoe that was parked for just 30 minutes at Burbank High School.  Sometime between 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., the thieves punched out the driver’s door lock and removed the seats, which are valued at $2,400.
Dinner And A Fight With A Knife — $30,000

It wasn’t the price of an expensive dinner, but he Burbank man ended up posting $30,000 bail to get out of jail, after an altercation at a local upscale restaurant.  

According to police, officers responded to Morton’s Steak House, located at 3400 W. Olive Ave., around 10 p.m. Saturday night, October 27, regarding a disturbance.  A verbal argument between two men turned into a physical altercation. The suspect pulled a knife on the victim, holding it to the victim’s neck while holding the man by the neck.  The suspect had left the restaurant by car.

The suspect, Gary Martin Powers, 65, of Burbank, was located a short time later, and positively identified by the victim.  Powers was placed under arrest for assault with a deadly weapon, and booked into the Burbank Jail.  He posted $30,000 bail and is not currently in custody.   The victim, who sustained a small cut on the right side of his neck, apparently from the knife, declined medical treatment.
Parked Cars An Attractive Target For Burglars

The Burbank Police Department reported two auto burglaries over this past weekend.  In one case, nothing was taken from the car, but the thieves smashed the window getting inside, resulting in an expense to the owner.

A 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe parked in the 500 block of N. Bel Aire Dr., was broken into Saturday, October 27, between 12:30 a.m. and 10 a.m.   The thieves punched out the driver’s door lock to gain entry into the vehicle.  They took an iPhone charger and sunglasses, with a total value of $170.

On Sunday morning, October 28, thieves broke into a 2007 Toyota Camry parked in the 1300 block of Whitnall Hwy.  The burglary occurred between 3 a.m. and 8:20 a.m. The thieves smashed a window to gain entry into the car.  Nothing was apparently taken.

Police Looking For Man With Flaming Can

An unwanted demonstration of auto body repair techniques got a little too hot for a local woman, when a man ignited an aerosol can and nearly burned the woman’s arm.

The woman had just parked her car at the Empire Center at 4:25 p.m. Thursday, October 25.  As she got out of her vehicle, she was confronted by a man asking if he could repair the dents in the car.  The woman declined the man’s offer.  This is when things got a little “heated.”

The man, who was holding an aerosol can and a cigarette lighter, lit the spray coming out of the can in an attempt to show the woman how he could fix the dents.  As the flame shot out of the can like a flame thrower, it came very close to the woman’s arm, singeing the hair on her arm. Frightened, she immediately left the area and called police.  Her only injury was the burned hair on her arm.

The suspect, who is described as a male Hispanic, 5’7” tall,, 170 lbs., wearing dark colored pants and a shit, got into a black Volvo and fled from the area.  An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Burglars Busy In The Daytime

Most residential burglaries occur in the daytime when residents are usually at work or school and no one is at home.   On Thursday, Burbank police took two reports of residential burglaries.

Sometime between 11 a.m. and 4:10 p.m., burglars broke into a home in the 800 block of Irving Dr.  The pried open a rear door to gain entry. The resident reported that jewelry, a laptop computer, and cash were taken.

Across town, in the 4300 block of Jeffries Ave., burglars entered a home through an unlocked rear door sometime between 9:30 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. Taken in that burglary were a Sony Playstation, games, a Mac Book laptop computer, and a backpack.

Police advise residents to make sure their homes are secured before they leave.  If you see suspicious activity, or occupied vehicles that do not belong in the neighborhood, you should call the police department at 818-238-3000, and report the information.

Suspected Auto Burglars Run From Police

Officers on routine patrol observed a car running through two separate stop signs in the area of Edison Blvd. and Evergreen St., Saturday, October 20, shortly after 3 a.m

When police attempted to pull the silver-colored Volkswagen Jetta over, the suspects failed to stop, and continued running through stop signs, driving erratically through alleys.  The driver eventually crashed into a garage near Clybourn and Jeffries Avenues, and both the driver and his passenger fled into a nearby apartment complex.  The officers pursued them on foot, and eventually caught one of the suspects, who was attempting to hide inside the apartment complex. The other suspect, a 21 year-old man, eluded the officers and is still at large.

A search of the suspect, Johnny Mangandi, 22, of North Hollywood, turned up a wallet belonging to the victim of an auto burglary that had occurred earlier that night in Burbank. During a search of the suspect’s vehicle, police found additional property that had been taken from an auto burglary in the 1400 block of Evergreen St.  The Jetta was impounded by police.

Mangandi was booked into the Burbank Jail for receiving stolen property and resisting arrest.  His bail was set at $20,000.  He is due to appear in court on October 23.

Asleep At The Wheel Driver Backs Into Police Car

A suspected drunk driver, who was asleep at the wheel, ended up in jail after backing her mini-van into a Burbank police car that had stopped at assist her.

Officers on patrol found the Nissan Quest stopped in the middle of Buena Vista St. near Glenoaks Blvd. at 3:03 a.m. Saturday, October 20.  The van was straddling the center yellow lines.   Pulling in behind the stopped van, the officers activated their emergency lights and approached the driver’s side of the vehicle.  The found the female driver asleep with the vehicle running and the gear shift in “Drive.”  The driver had her foot on the brakes.

At some point, the van moved backwards, striking the front bumper of the police car behind it. The collision caused minor damage to the van, and no damage to the police car. The driver appeared to be awake.  She was assisting out of her vehicle and placed under arrest for driving under the influence.

The driver, Yohana Alvarez, 23, of North Hills, was booked into the Burbank Jail.  She also had an outstanding warrant for driving under the influence out of Orange County.

Transient With Stolen Handgun Arrested

Police responded to the Toluca Lake area of Burbank early Thursday morning, October 18, after they received a call of a possible transient loitering near a residence at 7:55 a.m.

When officers arrived in the 4100 block of Toluca Lake Ave., they observed a man sitting on the ground next to a vehicle in a driveway.  He appeared to be asleep.  After contacting the man, they determined that he was on probation.  The man and his belongings were searched, and offices found a small amount of what appeared to be heroin in his possession.  They also found an unloaded handgun.  The Glock handgun had been reported as stolen from an auto burglary earlier that morning in North Hollywood. The Los Angeles Police Department is investigation the burglary.  It is not know if the suspect was involved in the burglary.

The suspect, Hatem Hassoun, 41, was placed under arrest for drug possession, and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.  He was booked into the Burbank Jail, with bail set at $50,000.  He is schedule to appear in court on Monday.

Man Exposes Himself To Students Walking By Mall

Two female students walking home from Burbank High School on Wednesday afternoon, October 10, were the victims of an indecent exposure.

The two girls were walking on Third St. near Cypress Ave., at 3:15 p.m.  As they passed by the entrance to the parking structure at the Burbank Town Center, a man standing in the walkway next to the structure, yelled at them.  When they both tuned to look, the man was holding his sweatpants down, exposing his genital area while making masturbating motions.

The girls ignored the man and continued walking southbound on Third St. to the Burbank Police Station.   They reported the incident.  Officers checked the area but were unable to locate the suspect.   He is described as a White male, 38-40 yrs., 5’9”, medium build, with dirty blond hair.  He was wearing a gray t-shirt and gray sweatpants, and a black baseball cap.

Burglars Make Off With Two Big Screen TV’s

A resident returned to their home in the 800 block of S. Sunset Canyon Dr. Wednesday, October 10, and found the home ransacked. Missing were two large-screen TV’s and a Dell computer.

Police found that the suspect removed a screen and pried open a side window to gain entry into the residence.  The burglary occurred sometime between 7:30 a.m. and 4:15 p.m.

Burglar Breaks Foot Trying To Flee

A suspected burglar ended up having a very bad day on the “job” Sunday evening.  He not only picked a house where the residents were home, he didn’t get to steal anything, and he broke his foot trying to run away.

The incident began just after 6 p.m. Sunday, October 7, when man and woman heard a loud banging noise coming from the rear of their house in the 900 block of North Rose St.  The woman walked to the rear of the home and saw a man hitting one of the panes of glass in the sliding French doors that are in the back of the house.  Just as she entered the room, the burglar broke the glass on the door.  The woman’s scream scared the suspect away.   Hearing the scream, the man ran into the back yard of the home and saw the suspect jump over a wall and run eastbound through the south alley of Magnolia Blvd.

Arriving police officers conducted a search of the area.  They located a man matching the suspect’s description in the 4200 block of Magnolia Blvd.  Both victims positively identified him as the man who attempted to break into their home.   Police arrested Joseph Schollaert, 39, of North Hollywood for burglary.  He was taken to Providence St. Joseph Medical Center and treated for a fractured foot.  According to police, he broke his foot while fleeing from the home. Because of his injury, he was cited and released. Schollaert is scheduled to appear in court on November 1.

No Seatbelt Results in Drug Bust

When officers observed the passenger in a car traveling northbound on Glenoaks Blvd. at Orange Grove  at 11:40 p.m. Friday night, October 5, they conducted a traffic stop.  When they approached the car they smelled the order of burnt marijuana coming from the interior.   The three occupants admitted that there was marijuana in the car.

After the officers were given consent to search the car, they not only found the marijuana, but also what the suspected to be heroin.  All three occupants of the car, Alexande Radev, 20, of Burbank, Annette Khoodian, 18, of Van Nuys, and Christian Velasquez, 21, of North Hollywood, were arrested for drug possession.

Drunk Suspect Assaults Police Officer 

Burbank Police responded to a report of a fight at 1:30 a.m. Saturday, involving several men that had started at 250 N. First St., and ended up at Buffalo Wild Wings at 127 E. Palm Ave.

One of the men involved was placed under arrest for public intoxication.  As officers placed handcuffs on the man, he immediately turned and attempted to hit an officer with his elbow.  It was necessary for officers to take the man to the ground.  While on the ground he grabbed onto one of the officers’ legs and attempted to lift him off the ground.

The suspect, Gregory John Mills, Jr., 27, of Palmdale, was arrested for obstructing a police officer and public intoxication.  He also had an outstanding arrest warrant for driving under the influence.

Pair Of Burglars Caught After Short Pursuit

An officer on patrol at 4:30 a.m. Saturday, October 6, observed a vehicle parked in the middle of the street in the 1200 block of N. Kenwood St.  As the officer drove up in his patrol car to investigate, the vehicle drove off.  A pursuit ensued, with the suspects finally stopping in the area of Buena Vista St. and Burbank Blvd.  Both the driver and passenger were taken into custody.  Officers recovered tools inside the vehicle.

When they returned to Kenwood St., they located several cars with punched door locks.  An investigation is on-going to determine if the suspects connected to the auto burglaries.

The suspects, Ismael Gallegos, 36, and Erika Torres, 20, both of Los Angeles, were arrested for burglary.

Speeding Driver Arrested For Possession Of Dagger

Officers conducting traffic enforcement near the Bob Hope Airport on Saturday, October 6, around 7 p.m., noticed a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed and running through a red light.  They stopped the vehicle at Hollywood Way and Winona Ave.

The driver, Alejandro Verduzco, 35, of Panorama City, displayed objective symptoms of intoxication.  During a pat down search of the man, officers recovered a dagger from is rear pants pocket.   He was arrested for driving under the influence, and possession of a illegal dagger.   His bail was set at $20,000.