A 13-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with a string of "hot prowler" burglaries at a Harbor City apartment complex, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Because the suspect is a juvenile, police could release very little information about him. Authorities LAPD Harbor Division said the boy was arrested in the Torrance area about 10 a.m. Wednesday.
The burglar, caught on surveillance cameras, struck Summer Glen Apartments on Western Avenue near Sepulveda Boulevard nine times typically between 4:30 and 6 a.m., police said.
Investigators believed he would take advantage of hot weather, getting into apartments through windows or doors left open by residents likely in an attempt to cool their homes.
In the most recent break-in -- just a few weeks ago -- the thief exchanged words with the residents.
"My oldest brother came out of the room," a woman who wanted to be identified only as Marilen told NBC4 last week. "(My brother) was like, 'What do you want?' I heard a voice that said, 'All I needed was bus money.'"
The crimes began in April and then stopped for a few months but recently started up again, according the complex property manager.
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Authorities last week asked for the public's help finding the burglar. It was not clear what led to the 13-year-old's arrest Wednesday.
