Police are urging West Los Angeles residents to remain vigilant as they investigate an organized ring of thieves using Wi-Fi jamming devices and other sophisticated technology to steal high-value valuables from homes in many upscale neighborhoods.
Los Angeles police issued a local alert for areas including Bel Air, Holmby Hills and Pacific Palisades following a report of a nanny being threatened with a gun during a home invasion in nearby Sherman Oaks earlier last week.
“We have burglaries and break-ins almost every night in our community, in the South Valley, not just on luxury homes but on average homes,” Matt Epstein, president of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association, told Fox News Digital.
“I've lived in Sherman Oaks for 66 years and what's happened in the city of Los Angeles over the last decade is horrible,” he added. “This is solvable. The current district attorney is an idiot. If he lets people go, no one will prosecute.”
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According to Fox 11, the suspect was seen carrying a bag full of valuables stolen from a home in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles and entering a getaway vehicle. (Fox 11)
In the Sherman Oaks case, Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office Police said three suspects broke into the home and “allegedly stole thousands of dollars worth of luxury handbags and jewelry,” then “fled in a vehicle and drove to the city of Compton,” where they broke into a home to hide from police.
The three suspects, all between the ages of 21 and 24, were eventually arrested and charged with burglary and home invasion of a home, with bail ranging from $225,000 to $2 million.
“Home invasions are incredibly horrific crimes that not only affect the victims, but the entire community,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement. “Our homes should be sanctuaries, places where we feel safe and secure. I want to assure the community that my office is committed to holding perpetrators accountable and is working closely with law enforcement to bring justice to victims.”
“We will continue to deploy our resources to address residential burglaries in Encino, West Los Angeles and other Los Angeles neighborhoods where criminals are targeting our neighborhoods,” LAPD Interim Chief Dominic Choi added. “Making these arrests is a step in the right direction, but our work is not done.”
The Los Angeles Police Department is telling West Los Angeles residents that a series of residential burglaries has hit the area and is believed to be perpetrated by two to four unknown, masked men, who often target homes that appear empty. Santa Monica Mirror I will report.
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According to Fox 11, the home was targeted in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles. (KTTV)
The suspects often use ladders or climb drainpipes to enter second-floor master bedrooms of homes and steal valuables such as jewelry, watches, luxury handbags and cash, the newspaper said, citing local alerts sent to residents.
According to reports, the suspects were carrying Wi-Fi jamming devices to jam security cameras at the home and were using handheld short-range radios to communicate with vehicles fleeing the crime scene.
According to the Santa Monica Mirror, police are encouraging local residents to install and bolt sliding glass doors with alarms and place GPS tracking devices on their safes, and are now urged to report any suspicious activity.
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An officer shines a light on the scene as Compton police move in to arrest three suspects in connection to a home invasion in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles. (Fox 11)
Former FBI agent Bill Daly told Fox News Digital that property owners should take measures such as leaving lights and TVs on and curtains slightly open to “create the appearance of busy activity in the home” even when people are away.
“If you have an extra car, make sure it's visible, don't keep it in the garage, keep it outside so people know there may be someone in or outside your home,” he added.
Los Angeles Police Department detectives investigating the West Los Angeles residential burglary did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Last week, Los Angeles Police arrested a suspect in an attempted burglary of a home in the Cheviot Hills neighborhood of West Los Angeles. The suspect, identified as 43-year-old Jose Agarde Lopez, who had been arrested 11 times for burglary, used a key found in a construction worker's lock box to gain entry to the home. According to a KABC report: Citing authorities.
The robbery reportedly came at the same time as attacks two weeks ago on more than a dozen nearby stores in the Los Angeles Fashion District, in which thieves broke into one store and then drilled holes in the walls to gain access to the others.
In an official statement, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said: Released A new hotline dedicated to residential burglary cases “encourages local residents with information about residential burglary to share their tips and leads.”
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“This hotline will serve as an important tool in gathering intelligence, assisting in investigations, and preventing future crimes,” the office said. “Information collected will be forwarded to the appropriate law enforcement agencies for investigation and follow-up.”
