Crime & Safety

Six Suspected Burglars Arrested After Manhunt

A helicopter circled above Hermosa Beach Friday night in search of the six suspected house burglars — five of whom are under 16 years old.

Police arrested six suspected burglars, five of whom are under 16 years old, after being led on a three-hour manhunt Friday night.

When a Hermosa Beach man entered his home on 4th Court, near Hermosa Avenue, around 6 p.m., he noticed that some electronic and computer items were missing, according to police.

As he looked around his home, he told detectives that he discovered a suspicious backpack full of his own missing items.

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The man immediately called the police department, and when officers arrived they found all six suspected burglars hiding in the man's garage.

As the police detained the five teenagers, the sixth suspect took off running. The suspect led officers on a three-hour chase across the city, running in-between homes down Hermosa Avenue and near the 200 block of Palm Drive.

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Police said that officers from surrounding beach cities — Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, and El Segundo — were called in to help with the search after they lost track of the suspect.

As a canine search began on foot, a helicopter from the Hawthorne Police Department was flown in to assist. After hours of searching, when police were preparing to stop the manhunt, the suspect was found hiding between two Hermosa Beach homes wearing clothes stolen from a nearby, unsecured house.

Police arrested 24-year-old Alan Howard Keith of Lawndale. 

Keith is being held on $50,000 bail at the Hermosa Beach Police Department jail. His five alleged accomplices were released from police custody to their parents.

Police have not reported exactly how much property was stolen that night, but they are continuing to investigate the robberies.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call Det. Jon Sibbald at (310) 318-0341.


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