Vacant Mullikan Building in Cerritos Burglarized, Copper Wiring Stolen

The vacant Mullikin Medical building located across from the Cerritos Civic Center was broken into twice recently, resulting in the theft of copper wiring from the property, a sheriff's lieutenant said. 

The first break-in of the city-owned building located on the Southeast corner of Bloomfield Avenue and 183d Street was discovered on Tuesday, July 10, Lt. Allen Castellano of the  said. 

"It appears that the suspects made entry through an external storage area and after gaining access into the building, they stole some copper wiring," Castellano said. Detectives believe the burglary occurred between July 6 and July 10. 

The building, although currently vacant, is locked and maintained by the city, and used by the Cerritos Sheriff's Station and other local agencies for training purposes, said Castellano, adding that the city maintains a log of those who have access to the facility.

The second burglary incident was discovered on Friday, July 13, when members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department arrived on site for training purposes and found that one of the building's doors was left wide open, the lieutenant said.

The Cerritos Sheriff's Station was immediately notified of the apparent break-in and it appeared that copper pipes inside the building had been tampered with, he added.

According to a city report, the suspects also attempted to steal plumbing fixtures and even smashed pay telephones in the lobby area of the building, while looking for anything of value.

An electrician was brought in to repair some of the building's wiring to get the exterior lights operational. City staff is continuing to assess the damages, the city said. 

Castellano said he believes this is the first time the vacant property has been burglarized. Though no arrests have been made in the case, detectives are continuing to investigate the break-ins, Castellano said. 

Anyone who may have seen something suspicious on the property during the period of July 6 and July 13 is asked to call the Cerritos Sheriff's Station at (562) 860-0044.

Thefts of scrap metals such as copper, aluminium, and bronze have increased in recent years as a result of the growing value of these metals.