Police Nab Suspect in Burglary Spree

By Lookout Staff

July 13 -- A bicycle thief nabbed by police earlier this month may be responsible for at least 31 commercial burglaries in the area and 16 in Santa Monica alone in the last two months.

After a brief foot chase around 3 a.m. July 2, Santa Monica police arrested Herbert Orlando Allen in the 2400 block of Broadway as he tried to speed away on a bike he allegedly had just stolen from a nearby shop, according to police.

Allen, who matched the description of a burglary suspect previously observed on surveillance video, was seen bicycling away from an area where there had been a rash of commercial burglaries when officers gave chase.

Allen was caught and arrested, and police determined that the bicycle he was riding had just been stolen from the bicycle shop, which had its alarm tripped.

Allen -- who police say is on parole for a previous burglary and theft convictions -- is responsible for at least 16 commercial burglaries in Santa Monica between April 30, 2006 and July 2, 2006, according to police.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has filed five counts against Allen for commercial burglary.

He is believed to the culprit in at least ten similar burglaries in the West Los Angeles area, according to Santa Monica police who worked with Los Angeles police to help crack the case.