CRIME TIME : Sept 27-Oct 3

The Hermosa Beach Police Department logged 29 incidents this week. Twenty occurred during the reporting week. The other nine were reported this week but date back further, some by years, and most of those are financial crimes.

Assault on The Strand

The week’s most serious incident happened Tuesday evening, Sept. 29, on the 800 block of The Strand. According to the report, a victim was sitting on a bench when a suspect began directing racial and nonsensical statements at them, then lunged and punched the victim and threw a chair at them. The suspect was arrested.

Threats and a Dog Bite

Two threat cases were reported. On Wednesday, Sept. 30, on the 200 block of Pacific Coast Highway, a victim reported receiving multiple threatening text messages after a verbal argument with the suspect and after complaints were filed against both the suspect and the victim’s business. Separately, a victim on the 200 block of Monterey Boulevard reported threats from a suspect who is currently jailed out of state; that report carries a date of March 2.

A dog bite was reported at 22nd Street and Hermosa Avenue on Friday, Oct. 2, at 5:30 p.m.

Fraud and Identity Theft

Financial crime made up the largest share of older cases this week, with six reports:

Embezzlement, 100 block of 2nd Street: Money was taken from a business account and moved into a fake business name over a period running from September 2023 to January 2026.
Business opened in victim’s name, 200 block of Culper Court: Someone opened a business under the victim’s name, and money is now owed to the state Employment Development Department. The victim does not own the business. The activity dates to September 2025.
Credit card fraud, 600 block of 2nd Street: A credit card was opened in the victim’s name without permission between Sept. 19 and Sept. 30.
Fraudulent purchase, 1200 block of Hermosa Avenue: A business received what looked like a legitimate purchase on Sept. 29 and later found it was fraudulent.
Bank accounts accessed, 1500 block of Golden Avenue: Withdrawals were attempted on one account, which was then closed. A second account was accessed and money was withdrawn. The activity occurred Sept. 25 to 26.
Job-seeker check scam, 2000 block of Pacific Coast Highway: A resident looking for work received a check in the mail with instructions to cash it, keep part of the money and send the rest to another person. The victim recognized it as fraud and filed an information report.

Bikes and Other Property Crime

Four bicycles were stolen in three incidents, all in Area 2, and all were locked:

An e-bike locked to a pole on the 00 block of 13th Court was taken Sunday, Sept. 27, in a five-minute window between 2:40 and 2:45 p.m.
Two bicycles locked to each other in a parking space on the 1800 block of Pacific Coast Highway were stolen between Sept. 30 and Oct. 2.
A bicycle was taken from a bike rack on the 1600 block of Pacific Coast Highway on Saturday morning, Oct. 3.

Elsewhere, a workout bench was stolen from the side yard of a home on the 400 block of Hermosa Avenue on Sept. 18. On the 700 block of Pier Avenue, a shoplifting suspect was located on Friday, Oct. 2, and was found to have an outstanding warrant out of Redondo Beach and drug paraphernalia. A rented U-Haul was reported not returned on the 1100 block of Aviation Boulevard, and a vehicle’s tire was reported slashed on the 500 block of 24th Place sometime between June and early September.

One theft report on the 500 block of Valley Drive stood out: a victim told police he lent a gun to a friend, and it came back early Friday, Oct. 2, with three rounds missing.

DUI and Traffic

Officers made three DUI arrests in Hermosa Beach and one in Redondo Beach, all beginning between 1:41 and 2:19 a.m. Early Friday, Oct. 2, was especially busy: a citation for driving on a suspended or revoked license on the 1700 block of Hermosa Avenue at 1:14 a.m., a DUI arrest on the 2600 block of Valley Drive at 1:41 a.m. and another on the 600 block of Pacific Coast Highway at 2:19 a.m. The Redondo Beach arrest came at Pacific Coast Highway and North Irena Avenue at 1:47 a.m. Saturday.

On Thursday morning, Oct. 1, a driver at Loma Drive and Pier Avenue was cited for driving on a license suspended for DUI.

Quality of Life

Officers made two public intoxication arrests downtown, on Thursday night at Hermosa Avenue and Pier Avenue and on Friday night on the 00 block of Pier Avenue.

Early Tuesday, Sept. 29, a person entered a residence on the 1900 block of The Strand and was found on the couch downstairs. The person was taken for medical treatment.

On Saturday, Oct. 3, a subject on the 500 block of Valley Drive was found with mail belonging to other people and drug paraphernalia. The mail was returned to its owners and the subject was arrested.