Pawned Off Purple Guitar Leads to Arrest of Brazen Cerritos Burglar

An 18-year-old Cerritos resident has been arrested in connection with at least three residential burglaries in the city, including a case in which the suspect allegedly stole a unique purple bass guitar, which he pawned off and it was later discovered by the victim at  store in Cerritos, authorities said.

The events leading to the suspect's arrest began about two weeks ago when he allegedly broke into a Cerritos residence about a quarter of a mile from his own home and fled with a pair of bass guitars, according to Lt. Allen Castellano of the . 

A few days after his home was burglarized, the victim went to Sam Ash off of Artesia Boulevard and Bloomfield Avenue to purchase a new guitar. While there, he told a store employee about the instruments that were stolen from his home, including a purple guitar with distinct features. The employee quickly realized it was the same guitar he had just purchased from a local pawn shop, prompting the victim to alert detectives, Castellano said. 

"When you pawn material or a product, you have to get a pawn slip, which includes a thumbprint and identification information," the lieutenant said, adding that deputies were able to use this information to track down the suspect.

On the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 15, deputies executed a search warrant at the suspect's residence, where they "found evidence linked to at least two other burglaries that occurred in Cerritos," Castellano said.

The suspect, who had just turned 18, was immediately taken into custody, and detectives are looking into the possibilty that he may be responsible for other local burglaries, the lieutenant added.

"The people at the pawn shop say they recognized this individual from before, so there may be more to that story," Castellano said.

The suspect's name and the exact locations of the crimes he is being accused of are being withheld pending the ongoing investigation.

Cerritos Sheriff's Focused on Curtailing Burglary Problem

During the Nov. 15 Community Safety Meeting, Castellano pointed out that the increase in burglaries is not just a Cerritos issue, but a countywide problem as well.

"Unfortunately it's happening all across surrounding communities," the lieutenant said, adding that the sheriff's station is completely focused on getting a handle on this problem.

"Every watch commander on each shift is briefed with a burglary suppression plan," Castellano said. "For our directed patrol team it is their number one focus and they're hitting the hard hit areas on the (crime) maps every day."

Castellano said deputies responding to calls of service are also continuing to spread a message of awareness to residents by sharing tips on how to avoid being the victim of a burglary.

Most importantly, the community is encouraged to at all times observe the activities in their neighborhood and report any suspicious activity, vehicle, person or strange noise to the sheriff's station by calling (562) 860-0044. 

For additional crime prevention tips, visit the Safer Cerritos website at safercerritos.com.