Over a recent week in March, the Manhattan Beach Police Department responded to a variety of criminal incidents ranging from theft to the worrying finding of an unloaded firearm in a middle school student's backpack. According to the weekly crime summary released by the department, officers tackled 623 calls for service, including both dispatched calls and officer-initiated contacts.
From theft at a Sunglass Hut to the fraudulent rental of a hotel room, crime didn't seem to slow down in the city. The summary, which was obtained from the official City of Manhattan Beach website, lists 19 arrests out of 39 reports taken during the week of March 13th to last Wednesday. The police also responded to 31 traffic collisions. Among the most notable incidents was a theft on March 15th, where "the store clerk saw two pairs of sunglasses missing after two subjects left the store." Upon reviewing the surveillance video, the clerk observed that "two suspects entered the store and one distracted the sales associate, while the second suspect stole a pair of Gucci sunglasses and Miu Miu sunglasses."
More serious was an episode that occurred on Sunday when Manhattan Beach Police discovered four loaded handguns, a mask, and fraudulent items inside a hotel room at Westdrift. The room had been rented under fraudulent means, with occupants smoking marijuana. In this case, "Officers responded and a search of the hotel revealed four loaded handguns, a mask, and fraudulent items," according to the report. All told, three adults and one 16-year-old juvenile were arrested on various gun and fraud-related charges.
Perhaps most alarming was the incident at Manhattan Beach Middle School on Wednesday. According to the police department, "MBPD SROs arrived at the Manhattan Beach Middle School after being alerted that an unloaded firearm was located by staff in a student’s backpack." The juvenile was taken into custody. That same day, in the evening, an MBPD officer was dispatched to the 1600 block of Voorhees Avenue regarding a residential burglary. The homeowner discovered a shattered rear door and missing jewelry, marking yet another infraction in the week's spike of criminal activity.
