SANTA MONICA—The Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) are investigating a recent string of thefts targeting elderly victims.
The police department reported that the suspects have a scheme to lure their victims where a female suspect parked inside a car calls out to a victim and lures them close enough for another suspect to swap out jewelry with a fake counterpart on the victim.
Two separate, but similar incidents were reported on February 13 and February 17 near the 500-600 block of Ocean Avenue.
The SMPD compiled suspect descriptions as indicated in a press release on Thursday, February 25 that reads:
“Suspect #1 Passenger – Female, Middle Eastern or White, between 40-60 years old with dark or brown hair.”
“Suspect #2 Passenger – Female, potentially White, mid-40s with dark hair. Maybe wearing a scarf covering her hair.”
“Suspect #3 Driver – Male, potentially White, mid-40’s with dark hair.”
The targeted victims are elderly women walking alone between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. The SMPD are advising residents to be on the lookout for anyone matching their descriptions and to report any suspicious behavior to contact Detective David Haro of the Criminal Investigations Division (CID) at 310-458-8432. Or at Watch Commander any time at 310-458-8427.
