As more homes in the San Fernando Valley continue to be burglarized, a group of thieves were caught on video, discussing their criminal plans while stealing from an Encino home.
The burglary happened Sunday afternoon as at least three people dressed in all black clothing ransacked the bedroom.
While one of them was seen in home surveillance video going into the closet, another burglar was heard communicating with a possible accomplice on a Walkie Talkie.
A group of burglars were seen in home security video, attempting to break into a home this week.
Then two days later, a home in North Hollywood was targeted by criminals in the middle of an afternoon.
Lea Young, the homeowner, told NBC Los Angeles that she believes the burglars had been watching her home and saw her backing out of the driveway.
Security video showed three people with masks and hoodies getting out of a black car and walking toward the side gate.
What they didn’t know, Young said, was that her husband was at home, attending a Zoom call.
“All of a sudden, he realized, ‘Oh my god. They have masks, and they’re hooded. They are burglars,’” Young described what her husband said.
As Young’s husband screamed, saying, “Call 911,” burglars took off running,
“He jumped up, ran out of the office doors and just screamed, ‘Hey!’” the homeowner described. “They just got into their BMW and sped off.”
A retired LAPD detective said it appears there are more than one or two groups committing the crime together.
“They know what to do,” retired detective Leanora Lindsey said. “If they are following somebody, for example, a group, they could ping that cell.
Lindsey reminded homeowners to secure high-value items either in a floor or wall safe, test their alarm system and add neighbors to the alert system so they too can be notified.
The LAPD said investigators do not believe the Encino and North Hollywood incidents are related.
No arrests were made.
LA Mayor Karen Bass’ office said the city and LAPD are taking aggressive action to keep Encino and San Fernando Valley communities safe.
“LAPD will be conducting additional patrols, and we are closely monitoring crime trends in the area to determine other next steps,” the mayor’s office said in a statement. “When there was an uptick in crime over the summer, the City responded with additional patrols, deployed license plate readers and increased coordination with partner agencies. “