Police Thursday announced that two men have been arrested in connection with the stealing of plaques from a statue at an area park in Long Beach.
Two suspects allegedly stole several plaques in the early morning hours of Nov. 27 from the statue of Martin Luther King Jr. at MLK Park, 1950 Lemon Ave., and put them in the bed of a truck, the Long Beach Police Department reported.
“Detectives and professional staff immediately began to conduct a thorough investigation,” according to a police statement. “They collected security camera footage, canvassed the area and began reviewing Automatic License Plate Reader data to identify the suspects.”
Sean Green, 44, was arrested on Dec. 9 on suspicion of grand theft and Anthony Martinez, 34, of Downey, was arrested last Thursday also on suspicion of grand theft, as well as conspiracy and possession of methamphetamine.
“The theft and vandalism targeting the statue of Martin Luther King Jr. at MLK Park is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” said Long Beach police chief Wally Hebeish. “The LBPD will continue to identify and arrest anyone involved in this type of insensitive criminal activity.
“The MLK statue holds immense sentimental value to our entire community, ” Hebeish said. ” I am extremely proud of the efforts of our personnel in bringing a measure of closure to the many individuals impacted by this crime.”
Police said detectives were continuing their investigation to recover the stolen plaques.
Anyone with any information regarding the thefts was urged to contact the Long Beach Police Department at 562-570-7351. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or go to lacrimestoppers.org.