Massage parlor burglar arrested | News

Glendale police recently arrested 23-year-old Mitchell Briggs in connection with a string of burglaries at massage parlors throughout the valley. Detectives became aware of about 25 cases since July, leading the department to charge Briggs with multiple counts of armed robbery, kidnapping, aggravated assault and burglary.

The department was alerted to the crimes on July 4 when they responded to a business break-in just after 2 a.m. Briggs allegedly removed the glass from the front window of the building to gain entry. An employee saw the entrance and fled the building. Briggs was spotted on video surveillance searching through drawers with his cellphone flashlight on, police said. The business owner reported that nothing was missing, but the window repair cost $300.

The next incident occurred on Sept. 8, when a call came in about a robbery near West Cactus Road around 3:40 a.m. Briggs used the sharp end of a black crowbar to pry open a metal security door, police said. He then encountered two employees sleeping in the back rooms and a physical altercation ensued between him and one of the employees.

“The defendant pushed the employee and made a motion with his right hand as if he was going to stab the defendant with the crowbar,” court documents state. “While still at the company, the defendant continued to show employees where to go. The defendant eventually obtained a black ziplock bag and removed all of the cash, which was approximately $500.”

Video surveillance later showed Briggs unsuccessfully trying to break into a safe, police said. Through the use of the Glendale Real Time Crime Center, the make and model of the suspect's vehicle was also determined – a maroon Dodge Charger with silver wheels.

Police obtained a search warrant to install a GPS on the suspect's vehicle. According to the data, the suspect had committed additional crimes in Glendale and Peoria as well as the greater Maricopa County area.

After Briggs' connection to the crimes was confirmed, he was stopped during a traffic stop and taken into custody. In his post-Miranda interview, he said he was the owner of the vehicle and declined to answer questions about the massage parlor break-ins.

“Several pieces of evidence were located during the service of the search warrant at the defendant’s residence and in the vehicle,” the document states. “This included approximately $10,000 in cash, receipts for large bank deposits, three crowbars and a ledger. The ledger was found to contain the addresses of 65 massage parlors. Some of these addresses were crossed out in red ink and had a dollar amount next to them.

“There was also a legend in the ledger that read 'difficulty' in three different colors next to that word… It is believed that the defendant documented the difficulty level for each location and crossed out the locations he had already visited.”