A 29-year-old man suspected of prowling around Menifee apartment complexes in an attempt to commit burglaries, going into one residence and fleeing when the occupants awoke, was behind bars Friday.
Irving Willia Firtha Morrison of Menifee was arrested and booked into the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta Thursday on suspicion of first-degree burglary. Morrison is being held in lieu of $35,000 bail.
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According to the Menifee Police Department, detectives initiated an investigation earlier this month after receiving reports of an unknown man clad in dark clothing, roaming through apartment buildings in the predawn hours, grabbing door handles and pushing on doors to find ones that weren't locked.
"Several (security) recordings of this individual were shared on social media platforms," police spokesman Chase Coburn said.
He said that in one instance, the prowler "entered an occupied home through an unlocked door but quickly fled when the residents awoke."
Detectives began carrying out surveillance operations where they expected the suspect to appear and hit pay dirt in the early morning hours Thursday on Town Center Drive, near Park Plaza Avenue, Coburn said.
"Detectives observed a subject matching the description of the person described in the previously reported incidents," he said. "When detectives attempted to contact the subject, he fled, and a short foot chase occurred before he was taken into custody."
No one was injured.
Background information on Morrison was unavailable.
Coburn said the incidents serve as a reminder to residents "to keep their doors locked, even while at home, and report any suspicious activity directly to police."
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