Burglary crew believed to be targeting these Southern California neighborhoods

LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – Residents of a Studio City neighborhood are reeling after two upscale homes on the same street were burglarized in a matter of weeks, with police telling homeowners that it is likely the same crew hitting parts of North Hollywood are also targeting them.  

The break-ins, according to residents, have similarities.  

The burglary crew is usually three people and a getaway driver. The crew targets large, modern homes where residents are out of town or have left for the evening.  

The most recent break-in, on Jan. 31, happened just before 9:30 p.m. Home surveillance cameras captured a white Mercedes parked at the intersection of Klump Avenue and Valley Spring Lane.  

Three people in hoodies exit the vehicle and hope the 12-foot fence of a rental home while a fourth person stands guard behind the wheel of the car.  

“This is a very close-knit, safe community or has been,” Studio City resident Tony Lucente told KTLA’s Rachel Menitoff. “Lately, with two robberies on this very same street, we all feel vulnerable.”  

It was Lucente’s surveillance cameras that captured the images of the burglary crew getting out of the Mercedes.  

“This is really a big slap in the face to the community and the LAPD in my opinion, that they can do this without any recourse,” he added.  

Like in other burglaries, the three-person crew shattered a glass door at the back of the home to gain entry and reportedly left the home with bags full of a family’s valuables.  

In an even stranger twist, the thieves left the kitchen faucet running and the refrigerator door open in what the homeowners believe was a nod to the ‘wet bandits in the 1992 blockbuster Christmas film “Home Alone.”  

Less than 10 minutes after getting into the home, the trio and getaway driver are seen turning the Mercedes around in driveway and leaving the area.  

“Supposedly, there are a lot of break-ins like this happening right now, all following the same trend of breaking glass doors on the side of the house and ransacking it when no one is home,” Studio City resident Shaun Wolfe told KTLA.  

Many people in the area said they believe thieves are taking advantage of LAPD being stretched thin because of the recent Palisades and Eaton fires.  

So far, no arrests have been made.