Police Seek Public's Help In Finding Alleged Thief

Corona police were seeking the public's help today identifying a man who broke into a woman's car outside a gym and within an hour ran up charges on a credit card he snatched.

The break-in happened around 1 p.m. Thursday in the parking lot of LA Fitness, 2355 Compton Ave., according to the police department.

A woman told officers that she had gone into the gym for a 30-minute visit and came out to find a side window smashed and a number of items taken from inside the locked car.

"Within an hour of the burglary, the suspect was able to utilize her credit card at two different locations and attempted to use it at a third location before it was denied," said Corona police Sgt. Kim Velasco.

The suspect, whose image was captured on a surveillance camera, was described as having tightly cropped hair, wearing a blue checkered long-sleeved shirt, blue jeans and black shoes.

Velasco said the incident serves as a reminder to the public, as the Christmas shopping season gets underway, to always conceal valuables left in vehicles, always lock the doors and, if possible, engage anti-theft devices and alarms.

Anyone with information about the suspect was urged to call the Corona Police Department at (951) 736-2330. --City News Service