Vehicle Burlgaries - Crime Prevention

Vehicle Burglaries often occur at night when we are all tucked in safe and sound in our beds. Burglars hope you’re sound asleep and don’t hear them quietly opening an unlocked car door or reaching in an open window or truck bed to help themselves to your items! In the first seven months of 2017, there were 1345 Vehicle Burglaries in Mesa which is an increase of 75 (6%) over the same time frame in 2016. Of those 1345, approximately 62% (833 vehicles) were left Unsecured! If valuables had not been left in the vehicles and they had been secured, windows up, doors locked, we could have seen a decrease in this crime. Please be sure to Take Your Keys, Remove Your Valuables, and Lock Your Doors every time you leave your vehicle, even for only a moment.

Vehicles being Stolen (Vehicle Theft) often occurs due to an unsecured vehicle as well. An unsecured vehicle with the Keys left inside (even if you think you’ve hidden them well) creates an easy target. In Mesa in the first seven months of 2017, there were 496 Stolen Vehicles! This is a 10% increase over the same time frame in 2016. Although the theft of Secured Vehicles rose by 15%, the theft of Unsecured Vehicles also increased by 45%. Vehicles Stolen with the Keys left in them increased by 2%. Please use layers of protection to secure your vehicles. Park in Your Garage or a Well-Lit Area, Take Your Keys, Use a Steering Wheel Lock, Close All Doors and Windows Completely, Confirm ALL Doors are Locked, and Set Your Alarm. Never leave an unsecured or running vehicle unattended – not even for “a minute”. Don’t forget to enroll your vehicle in the Watch Your Car Program with the Arizona Automobile Theft Authority at: https://aata.az.gov/programs/watch-your-car It’s one more layer of protection!

Do your part in helping the Mesa Police Department and the Arizona Automobile Theft Authority put an end to Stolen Vehicles and Vehicle Burglaries!

Cold Case Homicide

The Mesa Police Department is seeking public assistance in solving a cold case homicide. On June 26, 2016, at about 9:15am, Mesa Police Officers responded to 1310 W. Main Street for a welfare check call. The arriving officers found the victim, Joshua Aguilera, lying face down with an apparent gunshot wound. The father of 3 worked at Peddler's Son Produce in Mesa.

Homicide detectives began working the case immediately, but found few leads. Shortly after the gunshots were heard by nearby witnesses, two Hispanic males in their 30s were seen leaving the area. One of the males was described as 5'8" to 5'10" tall, approximately 200 lbs., with long dark hair in a ponytail. A composite sketch was completed of one potential suspect. Detectives are hopeful that someone might recognize the sketch or know who may have wanted to harm Joshua.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Mesa Police Department at 480-644-2211 or Silent Witness at 480-Witness.

Photos of Victim Joshua Aguilera

Composite Sketch of One Potential Suspect

Robbery - Attempt to Identify

On August 10, 2017 at 1:36pm, the suspect was receiving a massage from the victim when a disagreement arose about the services provided at the massage parlor. The suspect became upset and threatened to cause damage to the business. As the victim attempted to call 911, the suspect stole the victim's cell phone and struck her in the face. The suspect then went through the victim's purse and pushed the victim to the ground before fleeing in the pictured vehicle.

The suspect is described as a Hispanic or Native American male, early 20s, 5'04" tall, 140 lbs.
Vehicle is described as a newer gray Chevrolet Impala with rear spoiler, unknown plate.
Location: 2100 block of South Alma School Road. 

Please submit any information regarding the crime or identity of the suspect(s) through one of the following. You can remain anonymous. Please refer to case number 20172220489.

Use our online form found here – (https://www.tipsubmit.com/webtipforms/webform.aspx?id=51&AgencyID=836.) Please fill in the case number in the Case Number field under Incident Information.
or
Text information to 274-637 (CRIMES). Begin your message with MESAPD.
or
Call our non-emergency number at 480-644-2211 and select option 2.

Murder Suspect - Arrested

On 09/01/17 just before 4 am we responded to a shooting call at 210 E Brown #140. We arrived and located an adult male with a gun shot wound inside the residence. He was transported to the hospital in serious condition where he later succumbed to his injuries. The victim has been identified as 37-year-old Shane Gilliam. Shane was at the listed address (a family members home) when a known subject, now identified as Miguel Armando Espinoza Castro DOB 08/13/1991 entered the residence with two or three other males and displayed a handgun. Shane confronted Miguel and the other males and was thrown to the floor. Witnesses described hearing shots fired and upon entering the Livingroom/kitchen area, observed Shane on the floor. The investigation revealed that Shane’s cousin’s girlfriend allegedly owed Miguel money for pills. Miguel was identified as the alleged shooter and on 09/02/17 was placed under arrest. Miguel has been charged with one count of 1^st Degree Murder and one count of 1^st Degree Burglary. Great work by all involved.

Parcel Theft Suspect - Attempt to ID

Help us identify this parcel theft suspect who is believed to have been caught on camera at least two times so far. On July 14, 2017 he was seen on surveillance video stealing a parcel box from a front patio at 2531 E Inglewood in Mesa. He is believed to be driving a newer model red passenger car or SUV (unknown license plate).

That same day, a couple minutes later, he was captured on another surveillance video at 2424 E Fox Street in Mesa, stealing another parcel box from the front patio. In the surveillance video the same red car can be seen driving past the house in the first few seconds of the video and within 30 seconds the suspect is observed removing the parcel. (Video attached below)

The suspect is described as a White Male, 40-50 years old with brown hair. Last seen wearing a t-shirt, khaki cargo shorts, and sunglasses resting on his head. If you have any information regarding these two incidents or the identity of the suspect please call Mesa Police at 480-644-2211. See attached photos and bulletins for further information. 

Attempt to Identify - Suspicious Person

UPDATE 09/07/17: The subjects are in custody with Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department in Las Vegas, Nevada.

On August 20, 2017, the male seen in the photo may have been involved with two other males trying to install a skimmer on the gas pump machines located at 816 W University at the QuikTrip. The males caused all the pumps to shut down. The males were not able to gain access to any of the gas pumps. The male is described as a Hispanic Male between 30-35 years old, 5'09" 210 pounds, wearing a grey shirt and blue jean shorts.

There are two vehicles possibly involved. A Red Honda Accord and a Silver Toyota 4-Runner.

If you have any information regarding this incident or the subjects or vehicles in this bulletin, please contact the Mesa Police Department at 480-644-2211.

 

Subway Armed Robberies - Arrest

On July 26, 2017 an Armed Robbery occurred at the Subway store located at 1959 S Power in Mesa, AZ. A person described as a white male around 30 to 35 years old entered the store and jumped over the counter pointing a gun at the victim and demanding money. An investigation was initiated and the same suspect struck again on August 12, 2017 at the Subway located at 1923 S Signal Butte in Mesa. On that occasion the suspect jumped the counter with a weapon and demanded money. A few days later on August 14, 2017 he struck again at the Subway located at 1229 E McKellips Road in Mesa and then again on August 15, 2017 at the Subway located at 1496 North Higley Road in Gilbert and lastly on August 24, 2017 at the Subway located at 354 N Country Club in Mesa.

On August 25 Mesa Patrol Officers working routine patrol enforcement contacted a male subject related to a silver SUV vehicle with no license plate. During that investigation, they observed the clothing description matched the robbery incident from the August 24th incident and discovered the suspect was in possession of a stolen firearm. Inside the vehicle officers discovered further clothing items that matched the various robbery suspect descriptions. The suspect was identified as 22-year-old Hunter Clancy and, during his interview, he confessed to having committed all the armed robberies described above.

This is a great example of routine patrol officers making contact with an unknown suspect and recognizing enough information to bring an end to a series of Armed Robberies occurring within our community. Excellent work by all involved.

Sex Crimes Arrest

On August 08, 2017 Mesa Police detectives were made aware of a male suspect who was actively seeking to pay for sex with an underage female. The suspect contacted undercover detectives and over the course of several days, engaged in graphic conversations regarding his desire to pay for sex acts with someone he believed to be 14. 

On August 17, 2017, the suspect arrived at the location where he believed the victim would be. The suspect was contacted by police and taken into custody without incident. As a result of the investigation, Jay Miller DOB 11/08/1956 was booked on charges of Child Prostitution, Sex Trafficking and attempted Sex Conduct with a minor. 

Armed Robbery - Attempt to Identify

On August 8 at 12:00 pm, the victim agreed to meet a male at Whitman Park (1700 North Grand) to sell two weapons. The suspects then put a gun to the victim's head and told him to give them everything. The unknown suspect in the photo (left) has a possible Snapchat name of "Ruthless Pusha." The second suspect (right) is a friend of the suspect(s).

Suspect 1 (left in photo) is a Black male, 18-25 years old, 5'09" tall, 170 lbs. He has a tattoo across his chest that says, "Trust None" along with a snake biting a hand tattoo. Possible name of Marcus or Marquon.

Suspect 2 (right in photo) is a Black male, 5'09" tall, 150 lbs. He has short black hair with dreadlocks.

Vehicle involved is a blue Nissan Altima or Sentra, unknown plate.

Please submit any information regarding the crime or identity of the suspect(s) through one of the following. You can remain anonymous.

Use our online form found here – (https://www.tipsubmit.com/webtipforms/webform.aspx?id=51&AgencyID=836.) Please fill in the case number in the Case Number field under Incident Information. Case number is 20172220404.
OR
Text information to 274-637 (CRIMES). Begin your message with MESAPD.
OR
Call our non-emergency number at 480-644-2211 and select option 2.

Crime Stats - July 2017

The following are the top 5 calls for service and arrests for each patrol district -- 07/01/2017 through 07/31/2017.  To see which district you are in, click on each individual district listed at left to see their map.   FIESTA CENTRAL Call Type Frequency Call Type Frequency Check Welfare 398 Check Welfare 382 Subjects Disturbing 389 Subjects Disturbing 349 Other Agency Assist 238 Warrant Arrest 253 Burglary Alarm 195 Other Agency Assist 249 Civil Matter 192 Trespass 220 Arrests Frequency Arrests Frequency Homicide 1 Homicide 1 Rape 2 Rape 1 Robbery 4 Robbery 5 Aggravated Assault 18 Aggravated Assault 10 Breaking & Entering 12 Breaking & Entering 8 Theft 63 Theft 65 GTA 2 GTA 3 Alcohol/DUI 63 Alcohol/DUI 59 Other Assaults 52 Other Assaults 49 Disorderly Conduct 27 Disorderly Conduct 30 Drugs 84 Drugs 80 Fiscal/Forgery 8 Fiscal/Forgery 13 Loitering/Runaway 14 Loitering/Runaway 3 Sex Offenses 1 Sex Offenses 0 Vandalism 26 Vandalism 22 All Other 238 All Other 401  TOTAL 615 TOTAL 750 RED MOUNTAIN SUPERSTITION Call Type Frequency Call Type Frequency Check Welfare 419 Check Welfare 387 Subjects Disturbing 292 Burglary Alarm 330 Burglary Alarm 280 Subjects Disturbing 266 Other Agency Assist 209 Other Agency Assist 201 Suspicious Activity 158 Civil Matter 158 Arrests Frequency Arrests Frequency Homicide 2 Homicide 1 Rape 0 Rape 1 Robbery 1 Robbery 0 Aggravated Assault 8 Aggravated Assault 9 Breaking & Entering 7 Breaking & Entering 3 Theft 48 Theft 56 GTA 3 GTA 0 Alcohol/DUI 38 Alcohol/DUI 35 Other Assaults 34 Other Assaults 15 Disorderly Conduct 26 Disorderly Conduct 7 Drugs 46 Drugs 49 Fiscal/Forgery 12 Fiscal/Forgery 8 Loitering/Runaway 10 Loitering/Runaway 6 Sex Offenses 1 Sex Offenses 0 Vandalism 18 Vandalism 10 All Other 124 All Other 107 TOTAL 378 TOTAL 307