Crime & Safety

Dogs Help Thwart Attempted Home Invasions on Webster and Pilgrim, Police Say

The following information was supplied by the Birmingham Police Department. Where arrests or charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.

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Home invasion suspect caught on homeowner's security camera

Birmingham police are investigating two attempted home invasions from the past week.

According to police, the first incident occurred between 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday on the 1300 block of Webster. Reports state an unknown person or persons tried to enter the home through an unlocked kitchen window. The would-be home invaders never entered the house, police say, likely because of a "very large" dog that was home at the time.

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The second attempted home invasion occured at 11 p.m. Wednesday on the 1100 block of Pilgrim. According to police reports, the homeowner — who was woken by the family dog barking — saw a man with a small flashlight trying to enter his house through a locked kitchen door.

The homeowner yelled at the suspect, who immediately ran away, reports state. Police searched the area but couldn't find anything. The homeowner's home surveillance system shows the suspect to be a man around 20-30 years old, thin to medium build, with a goatee, wearing a light-colored shirt, dark pants, a tight cap-style hat and gloves. According to reports, the homeowner has been unable to make a copy of this video for police.

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Suspected drunk driver flees police, still at large

Birmingham police lost track of a suspected drunk driver who fled police during a routine traffic stop around 2:50 a.m. Sunday.

According to police reports, officers stopped the vehicle near Oakland and Ferndale on suspicion of drunk driving. As the officer was approaching the car, the vehicle suddenly took off, fleeing northbound on Old Woodward.

Police followed the vehicle as it traveled east on Harmon, north on Lakeside, west on Redding, south on Chesterfield and then west on Raynale. It was there that police lost sight of the car. Police say the car is registered to an owner living in Grand Rapids.

Flower pot outside Pita Cafe found smashed

Another flower pot was smashed on Old Woodward last weekend. According to police reports, a large flower pot outside , located at 239 N. Old Woodward Ave., was smashed sometime overnight on Sunday.

This is the second flower pot to be shattered downtown in two weeks; sometime between Aug. 3-6, .

Items taken from unlocked cars, bike goes missing from apartment garage

Several items were reported stolen around town this week, including:

  • A locked bike was allegedly taken from an apartment garage at 735 Forest sometime between Aug. 7-14.
  • A watch was allegedly taken from the center console of a car parked in a driveway on the 900 block of Pleasant sometime between Aug. 7-8. According to police, the car was unlocked.
  • An iPhone was reported stolen from a car parked on the street near Old Woodward and Daines sometime between 8:30-9:30 a.m. on Aug. 10. Police say the car was unlocked. 
  • Detectives are investigating after a resident on the 1900 block of Pembroke reported several pieces of jewelry went missing while they were moving between July 1-4. According to police, the victim suspects employees of the moving company.

Anyone with information about any of these incidents can call the Birmingham Police Department at 248-530-1889. If you have any questions about this report, email Laura.Houser@Patch.com.


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