The arrest of two alleged trespassers at De Neve Plaza last week
may lead to the resolution of multiple laptop burglaries on the
Hill.
Mike Yi, 19, and Daniel Dongha Shin, 22, were arrested when
patrol officers noticed one of them breaking into the Dogwood and
Cedar buildings early in the morning on May 8.
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department,
Yi is being charged with burglary and Shin received a citation for
occupying property without owner’s consent. Shin was released
May 8 on bail, and will appear in court June 9. Yi was let out on a
bond on May 9, and will go to court on June 6.
“I’m glad we caught them,” said Nancy
Greenstein, director of police community services for UCPD.
She said the UCPD was conducting a lot of additional patrol up
on the Hill because there were many reports of laptop thefts in a
short time period.
One suspect was allegedly climbing the staircase ledge up to the
bridge connecting the Cedar and Dogwood buildings, while the other
waited to be let in at the door, Greenstein said in an e-mail.
Greenstein said one of the suspects “admits that it was an
opportunity he could not resist.”
The suspect further confessed that he snuck into students’
unlocked between 3 and 5 a.m. as they slept. He said he then stayed
in their rooms for five minutes to find and steal their property,
which he then sold for cash, Greenstein said.
Greenstein added the suspect admitted to stealing from the
residence halls since February, and that instances of theft which
occurred prior to then with possible connections to this case are
currently being investigated.
Greenstein stresses the importance of prevention in order to
avoid becoming a victim of thefts.
“It’s important that the residents take simple steps
such as locking their doors to protect their property,” she
said.
The opportunity for anyone to climb onto the second-story bridge
and enter through the unlocked doors to Cedar or Dogwood buildings
still remains.
When asked about future plans for security measures on the Hill,
Michael Foraker, director of housing, said Housing has “some
pretty good ideas” but declined to discuss them. He added
that De Neve is currently under safety review.
Some residents on the Hill are taking safety into their own
hands.
“We’re pretty careful,” said De Neve resident
Joe An.
His roommate Eric Im agreed.
“The only time we do dead bolt is when he or I are in the
room,” Im said.
Students in De Neve were not the only ones affected by the
crime.
Dr. Daniel D. Shin of the UCLA Active Materials Laboratory, who
previously worked for naval security, was unhappy to hear that one
of the suspects shared his name.
“People are going to look at me funny,” Shin
said.
The series of alleged thefts are one of several security
breaches of on-campus housing this academic year.
In December, three Carson High School students broke away from a
school-sponsored tour and allegedly sexually assaulted a female
student in her De Neve Plaza dorm room. The suspects in this case
are currently awaiting a June trial.
In February, two residents of Saxon Suites were held up at
gunpoint while their room was looted of thousands of dollars.
University police are still investigating leads in that case.