Police seek man who burglarized homes

Irvine police are asking for help identifying a suspect wanted in at least two residential burglaries, the department announced Thursday.

In the first crime, about 5 a.m. Sept. 2, a man slipped into a home in the 100 block of Berkeley Avenue through an unlocked window but fled when a resident confronted him, police said.

Police believe that burglary is probably connected to a similar incident last month.

About 11:45 a.m. Aug. 8, a man

entered a vacant home in the 500 block of Stanford Court, which is a few blocks from Berkeley Avenue, through a window, according to police.

Officers responded to a call from the scene and chased a man leaving the home but couldn’t catch him, police said.

Detectives say they are looking for a Latino or Asian man who has a thin build, black hair and brown eyes and stands between 5 feet, 6 inches and 5 feet, 10 inches tall.

Officials are distributing two composite sketches of the suspect, one from the resident who saw the burglar Sept. 2 and the other from the officer who chased a man Aug. 8.

Police say there was a third nearby burglary Aug. 22 but aren’t sure it’s related.

In that case, a window was tampered with but nothing was taken from the home and no suspect was seen, according to the department’s news release.

Anyone with information should contact Det. Sarah Tunnicliffe at stunnicliffe@cityofirvine.org or (949) 724-7170.