Santa Monica police officers arrested a man found hiding in a garage in the North of Montana neighborhood Tuesday morning after he allegedly broke into cars, officials said.
Officers received an emergency call at 4:54 a.m. from a resident on the 600 block of 19th Street who reported that an African-American male wearing a hoodie was inside a car that did not belong to him.
The caller added that the suspect had left the vehicle, crossed the street and was trying to open another parked car.
The SMPD established a perimeter in the area and a police dog was brought in to assist with the search, as was a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter.
At 7:22 a.m., the police dog signaled that the suspect was in a detached garage on the 600 block of 19th Street.
When officers searched the premises, they found and arrested Keith Aaron Whittington, 22, a transient.
Aaron was booked on suspicion of burglary, resisting officers, tampering with vehicles and violating his probation. His bail was set at $20,000.
Detectives who responded to the area reported that a total of eight vehicles had been burglarized.
