CRIME TIME : January 25-31

The Week in Blue

A relatively quiet week in Hermosa Beach, though a pair of violent assaults on PCH were notable exceptions and continued e-bike thefts kept officers busy. Here's what went down.

Notable Incidents

Felony Warrant Suspect Flees on Foot
A routine traffic stop at 10th and Manhattan on January 24th turned into a foot chase when the driver—already busted for driving without a license—turned out to have an outstanding felony no-bail warrant from San Bernardino. He resisted arrest and took off running before officers tracked him down and cuffed him.

Racial Attack on PCH
In the most serious incident of the week, an unknown suspect launched a racially motivated assault on January 27th near the 2500 block of PCH. The attacker yelled racial slurs at the victim, struck their vehicle, then attacked when the victim got out—knocking them to the ground and continuing to strike them until bystanders intervened. The suspect remains at large.

Assault Over a Lighter
Just a day later at the 400 block of PCH, a victim asked a suspect for a lighter and got punched and struck multiple times instead. Police arrested the suspect.

Property Crimes

E-Bike Thefts Continue
Two electric bikes were stolen this week—one locked to a parking meter pole on Hermosa Avenue (January 25-26), another from a secured parking garage on 2nd Street (January 29-30). Both were locked at the time of theft.

Tool Thefts from Garages
Thieves hit two residential garages this week. Multiple tools were stolen from an unlocked storage area in a shared gated parking garage on Monterey Boulevard (January 26-27), and more tools were taken from a tool bag in a residential garage on Palm Drive (January 29-30).

Scams & Fraud

Email Phishing Hits Home
A sophisticated phishing scam cost one resident money when a fraudster posed as an email administrator (January 20-22). After the victim handed over their password, the scammer accessed contacts and requested gift card purchases "on behalf of" the victim. At least one contact fell for it and bought the cards.

Check Washing
An IRS check mailed between October and November 2025 was intercepted, washed, and cashed—a reminder that old-school mail fraud is alive and well.

Traffic & DUI

Officers issued citations for driving without a license (three incidents) and driving with suspended/revoked licenses (three incidents including two for DUI-related suspensions). One DUI arrest was made in El Segundo, another in Redondo Beach involving a driver with a license already suspended for DUI.

Three hit-and-run incidents with property damage were reported at 33rd & Manhattan, Manhattan & Longfellow, and Valley & Gould.

The Weird Stuff

• Residence on Cypress Avenue was egged (January 27)
• Male transient defecated in Valley Park (January 29)
• Subject cited for public urination at Hermosa & Pier (January 25)
• Adult grabbed a juvenile and forced them to pick up trash they'd dropped in a yard (January 31)

Community Safety Note

One information report stands out: on January 25th at Pier Avenue, friends reported a highly intoxicated woman who they believed may have been drugged based on her behavior. If you're out at the bars, watch your drinks and stick with your friends.