On Wednesday, Whittier detectives were still looking for the suspect (s) who robbed a restaurant and vandalized four other businesses in Whittier early Tuesday morning, September 21.
Glass doors were damaged at a restaurant and subway at 15030 Whittier Boulevard as well as two restaurants and a lounge in the 16200 block of Whittier Boulevard, according to Officer Thomas Mattsson, a spokesperson for Whittier Police. He did not have an estimate of the cost of the damage.
Police have confirmed a burglary so far. That could change, Mattsson said, if other business owners later find missing assets. Investigators are uncertain whether the same suspect (s) committed all of the crimes, which occurred within a mile and a half.
The burglar stole about $ 10 from a tip jar at Orchards BBQ and Grill, a restaurant with a butcher’s shop at 16214 Whittier Blvd., according to owner Troy Silva. He said the suspect spilled about half of the change inside the restaurant.
Silva said he spent $ 792 to have the door barricaded and the glass replaced. He does not recognize the man with the marijuana leaf tattoo on his right wrist that was caught on surveillance video breaking through the glass door and entering his restaurant early Tuesday morning. The man was wearing a shirt, loose shorts and a baseball cap.
Silva pointed out that the burglar was on the phone before the heist, and then was on the phone again when he left. As the man smashed through the door, he said the video showed a hearse rolling behind the businesses. A police spokesperson was unsure whether the hearse was the suspect vehicle.
The alarm went off at 2:23 a.m. and he arrived at the scene before police, Silva said. He estimated that 40 minutes had passed before the officers showed up. He added that the police were already there when the alarm went off in the living room.
“We are sorry for the wait,” said Whittier Police Chief Aviv Bar. “We understand how a burglary victim feels when they have to stand next to their business and wait for us to arrive. We do not intentionally delay our response. “
Police have provided an explanation for the delay.
Police received a burglary alarm report at 15030 Whittier Boulevard at 1:56 a.m. Tuesday, Mattsson said, adding that officers arrived at the center at 2:04 a.m.
Then, at around 2:30 a.m., Mattsson said police had been notified of a burglary alarm at the Orchards BBQ and Grill. At the time the call was received, he said officers were dealing with the other center’s burglary alarm or a domestic violence call with a possible armed suspect in Uptown.
He said officers searched for the domestic violence suspect but could not find the person. They could not confirm whether the suspect was armed. One unit was evacuated at 2:58 a.m. and officers were then dispatched to Orchards, Mattsson said.
“As soon as the agents became available, the call was sent to the agents. When more service calls arrive than there are agents available to handle them, they enter a queue based on their priority, â€said Bar.
When a call arrives at the dispatch center, he said dispatchers are looking for all available police cars to answer.
“When all police cars deal with service calls, unless it is an emergency such as an accident, a life-saving issue, the call can remain on hold until agents are released from existing calls, â€Bar said.
This is the second time his business has been broken into, Silva said. The last time was seven years ago at their old location and he also arrived in front of the police.
