Crime & Safety

Wallet Thief Hitting LCF Markets

Be vigilant: An unidentified thief is snatching wallets out of purses left in La Cañada shopping carts.

Bananas might be just one produce aisle away from the item you forgot, but remember this: take your purse.

Since the end of 2011, residents have filed six reports of wallets being removed and stolen from purses placed in shopping carts in La Cañada markets, said Sgt. Ray Harley of the . The thefts happened at , , and the newly-opened Sprouts.

Most of the wallet swipes have occurred in the early afternoon, Harley said, noting it's possible additional thefts have happened, but were not reported. He encourages anyone who has been a victim to report it to the station, if they have not already done so. 

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"We still advise female shoppers to be wary if they choose to shop with their purse resting in the shopping cart, since it only takes seconds of inattention for an experienced thief to remove a wallet from an open purse,'' he said.


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