7 nabbed in crackdown as home burglaries surge in the Valley

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Seven people have been charged in connection with a surge in residential burglaries in the San Fernando Valley carried out by “brazen, calculated and predatory” crews of thieves, authorities said.The suspects are accused of participating in at least 20 home burglaries, making off with wallets, high-end handbags, watches, jewelry and more, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.“These defendants are accused of prowling neighborhoods, smashing their way into homes and stealing from families who were left shaken and violated,” said Dist.

Atty.Nathan Hochman in a statement.

Although organized burglary crews targeting residential homes is a long-standing problem in Los Angeles, there was an upswing in incidents in the San Fernando Valley and surrounding areas last month, with thieves striking nine homes in a one-week period alone.In response, L.A.

Mayor Karen Bass directed the Los Angeles Police Department to increase patrols along Ventura Boulevard, a hot spot for burglaries.California Two more homes have been targeted amid a spree of burglaries in and around the San Fernando Valley.

Bass has ordered increased LAPD patrols in the area.L.A.County Sheriff Robert Luna said the recently arrested suspects conducted extensive research of properties and attempted to conceal their crimes using burner phones and cars rented under fraudulent identities.Luna, at a news conference Wednesday, noted that organized burglary crews “are increasingly targeting affluent neighborhoods and often select homes near golf courses, parks and hiking trails and open space areas that provide easier access and escape routes.”Last month, L.A.

Police Chief Jim McDonnell said that many of these residential burglaries are tied to theft rings from South America as well as groups based in South L.A.He said crews use similar tools such as hidden cameras to determine when reside...