Story Archive

Suspicion Aroused

A woman in El Segundo, Calif., said that as she was leaving her apartment, a man approached her to say he was a county health inspector, and asked if she had any water leaks in her apartment. Yes, she said, under her sink. Can I see? the man asked. Uncomfortable, the woman said no, and noticed he moved to the next apartment, and knocked on that door. She notified police. A classic “distraction burglar” trying to con his way inside to steal, police said in a warning issued through the media to local residents. It took days, but sure enough, officers caught up with the man. He wasn’t a burglar, but was in fact an official Los Angeles County Department of Public Health inspector, who was trying to help protect residents’ health by finding unsafe conditions in the apartment building. (RC/Torrance Daily Breeze) ...But by the time they figured that out, everyone in the building was dead.