Thieves Target High-End Valuables in Residential Break-Ins Across West Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has issued a community alert following a surge in residential burglaries across several upscale neighborhoods in West Los Angeles, including Bel Air, Bel Air Crest, Benedict Canyon, Beverly Glen, Beverlywood, Brentwood, Cheviot Hills, Holmby Hills, Little Holmby-Westwood, Pacific Palisades, Riviera, Westwood Hills, Westwood South areas. The warning comes after a series of break-ins targeting single-family homes, with thieves focusing on high-end valuables such as jewelry, luxury handbags, and cash.
According to the LAPD’s West Los Angeles Area Crime & Community Intelligence Center, the burglaries appear to be the work of an organized crew of 2 to 4 unidentified males. These suspects typically strike homes that seem unoccupied, often using ladders, outdoor furniture, or drain pipes to access second-story master bedrooms.
The LAPD alert states that the suspects then smash or cut out a glass partition of the door, crawl in, and remove property. Once inside, they ransack the rooms for valuables like jewelry, watches, high-end purses, safes, and US currency. Often, suspects leave a lay-off/ getaway vehicle out front with a suspect acting as a lookout in case of law enforcement response. Suspects carry handheld short-range radios for communication with the lay-off vehicle/lookout. Suspects also carry a WIFI Jammer to disrupt the WIFI signal of wireless residential security cameras like RING or NEST.
Residents are urged to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity. Police recommend several preventive measures, including installing video surveillance systems, securing sliding glass doors with poles or alarms, and ensuring that safes are bolted down and equipped with GPS tracking devices. Additionally, neighbors are encouraged to engage in community watch programs and share information through platforms like Ring or Nextdoor.
- Sometimes, the suspects attempt entry while the victim is inside their residence.
- Hours of crimes vary throughout the day and night.
- Suspects are crews of multiple males, usually masked and gloved.
- Suspect vehicles are usually rentals with dealer paper plates, temporary paper plates, or “cold plates”- freshly stolen plates that have not yet been reported.
- Some suspect vehicles have been seen working in tandem with up to two cars.
- Suspects also remove the vehicle license plates before committing a crime to avoid police or surveillance detection.
- A residence may be a greater target if it lacks video surveillance, an alarm system, or an active security guard on patrol.
- Check your backyards and residence perimeter for possible hidden recording devices, and be aware of drones (which are used to monitor a residence and residents’ patterns of life).
Anyone with information about these crimes is asked to contact LAPD Detective Carrillo at (310) 444-1568 or (213) 216-5308.
