Cerritos Deputies Thwart Residential Burglary Attempt Across from Artesia High School

Cerritos Sheriff's deputies caught two male juveniles trying to break into a Cerritos home early Tuesday.

Deputies were alerted to the attempted break-in on Avenida Pamplona near Del Amo Boulevard across from Artesia High School just after 8 a.m. on Feb. 7, said Lt. Allen Castellano of the .

Castellano said someone reported the suspicious activity, prompting patrol units, members of the special assignment team and detectives to quickly respond to the area.

The Cerritos Station currently boasts the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's best law enforcement response time, consistently averaging less than four minutes for units to respond to a call.

"Today the call came in and our units immediately flooded that area and caught the two in that vicinity," the lieutenant said. 

Castellano said the pair appears to have tried to break into the home through a window, which had its screen removed. However, entry into the residence was never made, he added.

Detectives were still interviewing the pair some four hours after the arrests, according to the lieutenant. He said it was not immediately known if the two boys, whose names were not being released because of their age, were local students or if they were tied to any other break-ins in the area.

Castellano pointed out that the arrests served as yet another reminder of how important it is for residents to call the station when they see or hear anyone or anything that is out of place in their neighborhoods.

"What we ask is for residents to give us a buzz whenever they see something suspicious," he said. "Because when someone calls something in, we're pretty successful in catching that person."

Residents are encouraged to report any suspicious activity by calling the Cerritos Sheriff's Station at (562) 860-0044. Tipsters can remain anonymous if they wish to do so.