Jan. 4

• A woman in the process of taking out the trash left her front door ajar on the 1400 block of East Bougainvillea Avenue. The suspects knocked on the back door, and the victim opened it. A suspect then placed his foot inside the door to prevent the woman from closing it, entered the home pointing a gun, and demanded money. The victim responded that she had no money and that her neighbor was on the way with a gun as well. The suspects then fled.

Jan. 6

• Police have charged Nicholas J. Jones, 23, and Louis Herschel Sparks, 28, both of 1421 E. Linebaugh Ave., Apt. A, with burglary and grand theft. The two were spotted by police stealing mufflers in a fenced area behind Mad Hatter Mufflers at 715 W. Waters Ave., according to officials.

Jan. 7

• A side window on a house on the 8100 block of North Ola Avenue was breached. Stolen from inside the residence were two laptop computers, a bike, an Amazon Kindle, and a TV.
• Eleven cars parked in the parking lot of Erwin Technical Center, 2010 E. Hillsborough Ave., were forcibly entered. Only one vehicle appeared to have anything stolen from it — an Apple iPod and a $50 bill. The security guard on duty went inside to make copies at the time of the incident, according to police. Police also say that the video surveillance system crashed during the break-ins.

Jan. 8

• A neighbor witnessed four juveniles jumping a fence at Cycle Mania, 7601 N. Nebraska Ave. They fled when police arrived, but three of them were apprehended after a brief foot pursuit. The fourth suspect was later caught. Investigators say all four have confessed that they intended to commit theft.