An unidentified suspect broke into and vandalized the Little Theatre at Los Medanos College’s Pittsburg campus over the weekend, before smashing a vending machine in the College Core Building Sunday evening and leaving. While the suspect was caught on security footage, police have not seen them as of Monday.
The suspect entered the theater via a door to the green room by prying open the latch mechanism sometime over the weekend. They made themselves at home, shaving and washing in the shop sink and vandalizing the theater in a couple of minor ways.
“The damage in the theater was minor for the most part,” according to Mylan Johnson, LMC’s staging specialist.
The suspect urinated on a chair and ottoman set, spray-painted a set piece and section of carpet in the hallway, smoked prop cigarettes in multiple locations and stripped a string of lights for copper.
Most of the damage has already been addressed and the production will continue as planned.
“I think the impact is more mental, less financial,” said Johnson. “I think we were all shaken up when we saw [it].”
“I think we will be able to bounce back,” she said. “Outside of the mark on the rug, I don’t think anything will affect our production.”
At some point on Sunday, the suspect left the little theater through the door connected to the central area of the College Core. They then were caught on camera using a rock to smash the window of a vending machine on the second floor, making off with some of the food items inside.
They then left the area and exited the building and ended up on the south side of the Core. Art professor Eric Sanchez was grading student work Sunday and heard shuffling shortly after noon and spotted the suspect on the stairwell connected to the art department.
“I check that back stairwell, and someone is walking up,” Sanchez said. “I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s unusual.’”
“I go to get my camera, my phone, just in case. I go back over there, and he’s gone.”
Sanchez brushed off the encounter, as the person he spotted wasn’t inside the building and people are known to walk around the outside regularly. It wasn’t until later when he walked to the bathroom on the third level that he spotted the broken vending machine and alerted police services.
The vending machine that was broken was set to be replaced even before it was smashed according to Carlos Montoya, LMC’s Vice President of Business & Administrative Services. As a result, the machine was replaced on Tuesday and is operational once more.
LMC police services are investigating the incident and trying to identify a suspect, but currently have only a video of the suspect smashing the vending machine.
“The suspect is a white or hispanic male with a thinner build, probably in their early to mid 20’s,” according to Interim Chief Ryan Huddleston. They wore a surgical mask, which hid their face and any identifying features, as well as a black hat and black backpack.
“Where we need help is, if the college community, staff, students see something, give us a call,” said Huddleston. “Let our officers come in and investigate, look into it further. Hearing from the college community definitely helps us respond to things that much faster.”
Police services can be reached at (925) 473-7332 during regular business hours and (925) 646-2441 outside of hours.
