BRIEFLY IN PUBLIC SAFETY

Two stores targeted by pairs of young shoplifters

Two Forest Avenue shops were targeted by juvenile shoplifters July 3, Laguna Beach Police Sgt. Jason Kravetz said.

Two girls who allegedly stole clothing from a Forest Avenue women’s boutique were arrested on burglary charges at 12:35 p.m. The two had allegedly staked out the store, hiding merchandise to steal the following day, Kravetz said. They came back with scissors to cut the security tags off the clothing, then put their regular clothes on over the stolen clothing. Each girl is accused of stealing jeans valued at $200.

In the other case, two girls were detained on suspicion of stealing a $108 vest and a $64 skirt from a sports boutique on the 200 block of Forest Avenue at 1:23 p.m. July 3. One of the girls was cited and released to a parent; the other was not charged.

None of the names are being released because they are all juveniles.

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Motorcyclist pinned in collision, hospitalized

A Marine Corpsman on a motorcycle collided with a Range Rover driven by a 49-year-old Laguna Beach woman at 2:55 p.m. July 3 at Vista del Sol and Coast Highway, causing the highway to be partially shut down for an hour, Kravetz said.

The motorcyclist, who broadsided the Range Rover, was pinned under the vehicle for a short time. The cyclist sustained a mild concussion and scrapes and was transported to Mission Hospital.

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Man held in alleged porno DVD theft

A 21-year-old Los Angeles man was arrested on suspicion of stealing pornographic DVDs from a video store in the 1000 block of South Coast Highway at 2:47 a.m. Tuesday, Kravetz said.

Benjamin William Bloom was allegedly caught breaking a shop window by two police officers. He fled, and the officers chased him one block, tackling him to the ground, Kravetz said.

The DVDs were strewn along the sidewalk. The suspect, a student, was staying at a Laguna Beach hotel with his parents. He was held on $20,000 bail, according to police records.

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Man arrested in property theft from vehicle

An 18-year-old Laguna Beach man, David Clausen, was arrested on suspicion of stealing about $650 worth of property from a car parked at a hotel parking lot at 3:45 a.m. Saturday, Kravetz said.

A man who was standing on his hotel room balcony at the Inn at Laguna saw the suspect in the upper level of the hotel parking lot, apparently trying to open car doors.

When he got to the man’s car, the door opened, and the suspect began rummaging in the car.

The man yelled down to the suspect, who fled.

When police saw the suspect, he ran and was captured with the stolen items allegedly in his possession, Kravetz said.

The items were a white volleyball, a GPS system and a memory card for an electronic device.

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New software approved for fire department

The City Council approved Tuesday the purchase of Telestaff software for the fire department for $34,430, which is designed to streamline staffing.

The system currently in use is laborious and relies on a combination of signed staffing agreements, phone call confirmations and tracking in two separate payroll systems, a convoluted process often resulting in staffing and/or payroll inconsistencies, according to Fire Chief Mike Macey.