An unknown suspect was seen trying to break into a room on the first floor of the Li Apartments on Sunday, Nov. 13, at approximately 2:30 a.m. Upon realizing that he was being watched, the suspect fled the scene. The witness, a student in the parking lot, notified Campus Safety.

Man tried breaking in through window

Officers responded immediately and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was informed of the incident and they canvassed the surrounding area.

“Any time there’s a crime in progress, we’re going to notify the sheriffs,” said Justin Shelby, the administrative operations manager of Campus Safety. “In particular, when anything in relation to a dorm [happens]. We especially want the sheriffs there right away, since it’s putting students at risk.”

The suspect, who was described by Campus Safety as a “male Hispanic, medium height, wearing a dark leather jacket,” is believed to have used a tool in his attempt to break in.

“The suspect did not gain access into the dorm, even though he had removed the window screen,” Shelby said. “Nothing was actually taken from the room itself.”

Burglar watched students

Junior Chris Anderson, a business management major, was with his roommates when the burglar tried to break into their apartment.

“We were watching a movie,” Anderson said. “We noticed a guy standing on the street staring at us. Then 30 minutes later, a flashlight shined in and [there was] banging on one of the bedroom windows.”

The Campus Safety officer, who was pounding on the window, asked if anyone had broken into the apartment, but the men did not know what had been going on.

Two suspects were later detained off-campus by the sheriff’s department. It is unknown whether or not they are related to the Li Apartment incident. They are currently being investigated by the sheriff’s department.

As for the on-campus response, dowels have been dispersed throughout the first floors of the apartments in order to secure the windows. Although the windows are able to lock on their own, the dowels are just an added safety measure. However, the effectiveness of the locks and dowels are dependent on their use.

“The dowel and windows are only going to work as well as they’re used,” Shelby said.

Learning from incidents

Dorm burglaries like this are rare at Biola. According to Shelby, the last one occurred several years ago, when a laptop was taken from a room. However, in that case, the window was already open. In the Li Apartment crime alert sent out by Campus Safety, students are advised to keep their rooms and belongings locked up, and to be aware of their surroundings at all times.

“With every incident that happens on campus, we look at things that we can do, [such as] ways that our officers can be more proactive and getting students informed about things like this,” Shelby said.