5 Whittier businesses hit in crime spree

Whittier detectives were still looking Wednesday for the suspect or suspects who burgled a restaurant and vandalized four other businesses in Whittier early Tuesday morning, Sept. 21.

Glass doors were damaged at a restaurant and a Subway at 15030 Whittier Boulevard as well as two restaurants and a salon in the 16200 block of Whittier Boulevard, according to Officer Thomas Mattsson, a Whittier police spokesman. He didn’t have an estimated cost for the damage.

Police have confirmed one burglary so far. That could change, Mattsson said, if the other business owners later find property missing. Investigators don’t know if the same suspect or suspects committed all the crimes, which happened within a mile and a half radius.

The burglar stole about $10 from a tip jar at Orchards BBQ and Grill, a restaurant with a butcher shop at 16214 Whittier Blvd., according to owner Troy Silva. He said the suspect spilled about half of the change inside the restaurant.

Silva said he spent $792 to have the door boarded up and the glass replaced. He doesn’t recognize the man with the marijuana leaf tattoo on the right wrist who was recorded on surveillance video smashing the glass door and entering his restaurant early Tuesday morning. The man wore a shirt, baggy shorts and a baseball cap.

Silva pointed out that the burglar was on the phone before the break-in, then was on the phone again when he left. At the time the man was smashing the door, he said the video showed a hearse driving behind the businesses. A police spokesman didn’t have information on whether the hearse was the suspect vehicle.

The alarm went off at 2:23 a.m. and he arrived at the scene before police, Silva said. He estimated 40 minutes elapsed before officers showed up. He added that police were already there when the alarm went off at the salon.

“We are sorry for the wait,” Whittier Police Chief Aviv Bar said. “We understand how a burglary victim feels when they have to stand by their business and wait for us to arrive. We do not delay our response intentionally. “

Police offered an explanation for the delay.

Police received a burglary alarm report at 15030 Whittier Boulevard at 1:56 a.m. on Tuesday, Mattsson said, adding officers arrived at that center at 2:04 a.m.

Then around 2:30 a.m., Mattsson said police were notified about a burglary alarm at Orchards BBQ and Grill. At the time the call was received, he said officers were dealing with the burglary alarm at the other center or a call of domestic violence with a possible armed suspect in Uptown.

He said officers looked for the domestic violence suspect but didn’t find the person. They couldn’t confirm if the suspect was armed. A unit was cleared at 2:58 a.m. and officers were then sent to Orchards, Mattsson said.

“As soon as officers became available the call was dispatched to the officers. When more calls for service come in than the officers available to handle them, they go into a queue  based on their priority,” Bar said.

When a call comes into the dispatch center, he said dispatchers look for any available police cars to respond.

“When all police cars are handling calls for service, unless it’s an emergency like an accident, preservation of life issue, the call may hold until officers clear from existing calls,” Bar said.

This is the second time his business was burglarized, Silva said. The last time was seven years ago at their previous location and he also arrived before the police.