Lafayette Police Seek 2 Who Grabbed Storefront Items

LAFAYETTE - Lafayette Police are looking for two suspects who grabbed personal items left just inside the front door of a dance studio and fled to a waiting car.

Police say on Friday, May 20, officers responded to a report of a grand theft in the 3300 Block of Mount Diablo Boulevard about 8:49 p.m.

When they arrived, officers say they met with two individuals who said their property was taken while inside a local dance studio.

Police say the two had placed their valuables inside the business, near the front door.

After being inside the dance studio for several minutes, police say the pair noticed two individuals pacing outside near the front of the business.

After approximately thirty minutes of loitering, Lafayette police say the two unknown males entered the dance studio, grabbed the personal belongings, and fled out the door.

Police say the owners ran after the thieves, and watched as the two jumped into a waiting vehicle parked along the curb on Mount Diablo Boulevard and drive away.

Responding Lafayette police officers say they were unable to locate the vehicle, the suspects or the property that had been taken.

During further investigation, Lafayette police say officers they discovered that a stolen vehicle had passed one of the police department’s Automated License Plate Readers just prior to the time of the theft.

When the stolen vehicle passed the ALPR reader, police say the vehicle was headed in the direction of the dance studio. The same vehicle was discovered leaving the area of the theft on a nearby neighborhood camera system, according to authorities.

Police say investigators researched the stolen vehicle and found the vehicle had been stolen during a residential burglary the day prior in the City of Brentwood.

On Monday, May 24, Lafayette police investigators say they located the stolen vehicle used in the crime in Oakland. The vehicle was towed back to Lafayette to be processed by crime scene investigators.

Based on information gathered, police are looking for two suspects:

• Male, African-American, 5’10” to 6’0”, wearing a red hoodie
• Male, African-American, 20’s, 5’10” to 6’0”, wearing a black hoodie

Investigators are hoping that residents who may have been in the downtown area on Friday evening may have seen the vehicle and can identify the occupants.

The vehicle was seen traveling down along restaurant row on Mt. Diablo Boulevard before parking near the dance studio. Lafayette police encourage anyone who may have seen the vehicle and its occupants to contact LPD Investigators.

You can email tips to Lafayette police here, or call them at (925) 283-3680.

Lafayette police are using the incident as a means of suggesting safety measures you can take when in public. According to police:

Whenever you are in a public place, make sure your valuables are safe. In this case, the victims placed their valuables on a bench near the front door. The front door to the business is normally locked, but on this evening, it was left ajar to allow for cooling. The suspects were seen pacing in front of the business by a number of the customers, but none called the police to report the odd behavior. If you must place your valuables down, place them away from any door, but in an area where you can see it. We have experienced this same type of crime in our restaurants as well, with purses left unattended below the table.

-images via Lafayette police