LA homeowners on high alert amid string of burglaries
LOS ANGELES - Homeowners across Los Angeles were on high alert following a string of burglaries in the San Fernando Valley and the Westside.
Around 6:10 p.m. Thursday, an Encino couple left their home near the intersection of Ventura Boulevard and Lindley Avenue to run errands. When they returned nearly two hours later, they discovered the glass on the rear sliding door was shattered and that their home had been ransacked.
The burglars got away with jewelry, purses and other items.
Investigators said a different group of burglars hit a home on the Westside later in the evening.
Around 11 p.m., a Brentwood couple arrived home from dinner and found their front door wide open, and all the lights turned on inside.
They contacted authorities and after Los Angeles Police Department officers cleared the home, they found a trail of damage that occurred when the burglars dragged a large safe that had been bolted to the ground through the home. The suspects then managed to get the safe into a getaway vehicle and left the scene.
A third burglary then occurred overnight at a home near the 101 Freeway and Van Nuys Boulevard in Sherman Oaks. In this incident, investigators said the perpetrators smashed their way into the home. A short time later, the suspects were confronted by the homeowner and ran out empty-handed.
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Neighbors in the San Fernando Valley told FOX 11 they’re worried and no longer feel safe.
"We’re scared, actually," said Tarzana resident Larisa Vinnitskaya. "I’m even afraid to go in my backyard without someone coming with me."
Vinnitskaya was held up at gunpoint at her Tarzana home two years ago.
The LAPD said they have increased patrols in the areas being targeted. However, that hasn’t seemed to deter burglars.