4 Arrested For Residential Burglary In Palos Verdes Estates

PALOS VERDES ESTATES, CA — Palos Verdes Estates police arrested four people this week while stopping a residential burglary in progress in a local neighborhood, authorities announced Thursday.

On Monday afternoon, a resident in the lower Lunada Bay area contacted PVEPD to report a suspicious vehicle with paper covering its license plates. When officers arrived in the area, they located the car and contacted the people inside.

According to PVEPD, an officer noticed pieces of mail in the car that they believed to be stolen.

"The driver was ordered out of the vehicle, which she was very reluctant to do. Officers eventually talked her out of the car using de-escalation techniques and realized she was sitting on a loaded revolver," PVEPD said in a statement on Facebook.

At the same time, officers received a call about an activated burglary alarm at a residence in the 2800 block of Via Anacapa. According to PVEPD, items that were reported stolen from the home were found in the suspect's car.

Officers located two additional suspects walking in the area that they believed assisted with the burglary. According to PVEPD, the two suspects were on probation for previous robbery and burglary incidents.

All four suspects were arrested on suspicion of residential burglary, possessing a concealed firearm and drug-related charges and transported to the PVEPD jail, authorities said.

To help residents be prepared for possible burglaries, PVEPD Detective Sergent Aaron Belda said detectives offer to survey houses to look for weaknesses and point out areas of vulnerability that could be improved. Belda said security cameras are also helpful in investigations.

"It's not going to stop them from doing bad stuff, but hopefully it will make them pass on your house because it looks more fortified," Belda said.