May 08--Alhambra police suspect a team of serial burglars struck as many as 10 houses in the last month, disabling at least two homes' alarm systems before breaking in.
The single-family homes were each targeted in the late afternoon and evening hours in northwestern Alhambra, said police Lt. Jennifer Wiese.
There have been 14 residential burglaries since April 1, and of those, detectives believe from three to 10 of them were executed by the same burglars, Wiese said. Closed-circuit security cameras captured video of the suspects in the rear yard of one house.
Meanwhile, on Saturday morning, the report of a commercial burglary at the Boiling Crab restaurant in the 700 block of Alhambra's West Valley Boulevard led to a police pursuit to Long Beach, where one of three suspected burglars was captured.
About 2:40 a.m., a passerby observed three people inside the Boiling Crab -- known for its long lines and Cajun-style crayfish and crab -- and called police, thinking the situation was suspicious since the business was closed.
The suspects were seen fleeing in a white vehicle from an alley, and officers began a chase that went east through San Gabriel and then south to Long Beach. The California Highway Patrol and Long Beach police joined in the chase.
"Two people bailed out of the vehicle, and the driver was apprehended," Wiese said. The name of the arrested person was not immediately available, and police are searching for the two other suspects.
Wiese said she didn't know if the three suspected burglars of the Boiling Crab are the same three suspects being sought in connection with the residential burglaries.
The three residential burglary suspects are described as males in their late teens to early 20s, 5 feet 8 to 5 feet 10 inches tall with thin builds. One of them has a distinct goatee, and they have used a dark-colored sedan, possibly an older Honda Accord.
Anyone with knowledge of the residential burglaries is asked to call Det. Jack Ng at (626) 570-5187.
ron.lin@latimes.com
Twitter: @ronlin
