Suspect Arrested In Robbery Of Paraplegic Photographer In Venice

VENICE, CA — A 29-year-old man was in custody Friday evening, suspected of burglarizing the Venice home of a paraplegic man who was home and bedridden at the time of the burglary late last month.

Security video showed the suspect in the man's home around 2:30 a.m. Dec. 28, and Los Angeles Police Department Pacific Division officers recognized the suspect as 29-year-old Joshua Portillo, according to a statement from the LAPD.

Portillo was taken into custody by police in La Palma on unrelated charges, the statement said. The date and time of the arrest were not disclosed.

Burglary charges against Portillo in Los Angeles are pending, police said.

The victim, identified as Christopher Medak, a professional photographer, was asleep when he heard the burglar break in and his security cameras captured the suspect going through his home and stealing his laptop computer, which contained most of work, ABC7 reported.

``The laptop is one thing, but it's the work he took from me," Medak told ABC7. ``And there was nothing I could do to stop him."

Medak's video security system was a key factor in the capture of Portillo and homeowners were encouraged to invest in a video surveillance system to help prevent crime and protect themselves, police said.

Medak was paralyzed from the chest down in a bodysurfing accident in 2017.

City News Service; Photo: Shutterstock