Manhattan Beach police on Sunday, March 17 arrested a man who allegedly trespassed into a home through an unlocked side door and was discovered in a female resident’s bedroom.
Officials are withholding his identity and other details of the case because it’s still under investigation, MBPD Public Information Officer Stephanie Martin said.
Around 4 a.m. on St. Patrick’s Day, a woman living in the 1600 block of 9th Street woke up to find an unknown man in her bedroom, according to police. When the victim screamed, he fled the scene. Officers established a perimeter in the area and found a man who they believed to be the suspect hiding in a nearby neighborhood, according to police.
When police approached him, he ran away. The suspect, who had a warrant, was arrested on charges of delaying or obstructing an officer, Detective Sgt. Paul Ford said.
The case was presented to the District Attorney but was not filed because the woman could not provide evidence that he was inside her house, Ford said.
“The burglary charge wasn’t filed because there was no positive ID of the suspect,” he said. “Basically it was too dark for her to see who was in the house.”
MBPD is conducting a follow-up investigation and seeking, at the very least, a prowling charge against the suspect, Ford said.
