Police Arrest Man Suspected of Burglarizing 8 Cars

A 22-year-old homeless man was in custody Tuesday on suspicion of burglarizing eight vehicles in the North of Montana neighborhood.

Santa Monica Police said they searched for the suspect for more than two hours early Tuesday morning after receiving a 911 from a woman who reported seeing "a male black suspect wearing a black hoodie" inside a car he did not own in the 600 block of 19th Street.

The caller reported "the suspect had exited the vehicle, crossed the street and was trying to gain access to another parked vehicle," said public information officer Sgt. Richard Lewis.

Police were aided in the search by a helicopter and a K9, which sniffed out the suspect, later identified as Keith Aron Whittington, around 7:20 a.m. inside a detached garage in the 600 block of 19th Street, Lewis said. The 911 call was at 4:54 a.m.

"Detectives responded and determined that a total of 8 vehicles in the area had been burglarized," the sergeant said.

Whittington was booked into the Santa Monica Jail on suspicion of burglary, resisting officers, vehicle tampering and violating his probation.

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