WESTWOOD—Two suspects were arrested for a string of residential burglaries in Westwood by UCLA Police Department patrol officers on September 1, according to UCPD.
On September 8, Canyon News received a news release from Lieutenant Scott Scheffler at the Community Services Division of UCLA Police Department. Cierra Marie Bartholomew, 28, and Adrian D. Givens, 46, of Los Angeles, were arrested by authorities at 5:53 a.m., while they were walking in the 500 block of Kelton Avenue. They are charged with Burglary, Possession of Stolen Property, Possession of Burglary Tools, and being Felons in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition. Both suspects are not affiliated with UCLA.
Upon the arrests, officers recovered packages and hundreds of pieces of mail which might have been stolen, much of it from apartment buildings in the Westwood region. They also recovered “burglary tools, debit cards, victims’ personal information, as well as two handguns which were reported stolen on August 31, 2020 from LAPD ’s Wilshire Division,” authorities reported. Officers found about a hundred rounds of ammunition and magazines for the stolen guns. Some of the items are considered to have allowed the suspects to get unlawful access into nearby apartment buildings.
The UCLA Police Department has been collaborating with the local community to identify the suspects of the recent burglaries reported in the North Westwood residential area. Burglaries have transpired at UCLA off-campus apartments, impacting students and staff members. The UCLA Police Department watched surveillance footage of the burglary suspects, and has been conducting patrols actively as a result.
When officers found a person in surveillance footage who matched the description of a robbery suspect, another subject with a vehicle was also observed. Authorities succeeded in contacting both subjects.
The UCLA Police Department is still investigating multiple robberies. Detectives will contact possible victims in order to give them back the stolen property they recovered. Both suspects are expected to appear at the LAX Airport Courthouse on December 2.
