Residents are worried and remain on high alert after a group of suspected burglary tourists targeted homes in the Santa Clarita Valley.
In the last week alone, at least three homes inside a gated community in Valencia were burglarized.
Neighbors believe their community is being targeted by a South American crime ring and the suspects may even be tracking their every move with drone surveillance.
“A few days ago, we noticed that there were drones flying above our house,” a resident, who did not wish to be identified, told KTLA’s Ellina Abovian.
Surveillance cameras captured the burglars’ images as they trespassed onto victims’ properties and smashed their way into homes.
“It appears they’re using sophisticated technology to surveil the home to see who’s home and who’s not,” the resident said.
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A resident captured drones flying over homes in a Valencia gated community in what neighbors believe are surveillance methods used by a South American crime ring. -
The entrance to the gated Valencia neighborhood where multiple burglaries were reported in the last several weeks. (KTLA) -
Home security cameras captured a male suspect trepassing through a backyard. -
Several burglary suspects were captured on surveillance video after breaking into homes in a Valencia neighborhood. -
The glass window of a victim’s door was smashed into by burglars. -
Home security cameras captured a male suspect trepassing through a backyard. -
Several burglary suspects were captured on surveillance video after breaking into homes in a Valencia neighborhood.
Some neighbors decided to follow the drones which led them to a nearby parking lot outside a La Quinta Inn where a group of men were spotted. The men reportedly fit the description of the burglars seen in victims’ surveillance images.
“There’s five of them who were hanging out together and as soon as they noticed that they were being watched, they all took off and ran in different directions,” the resident said.
The victims suspect the burglars are part of a crime tourism burglary ring from South America.
Crime tourism often involves foreign nationals who visit the U.S. with the sole purpose of committing theft.
Recently, an uptick in crime tourism has been reported across the Southland and beyond. The homes of Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were burglarized in October by what investigators believed was a South American crime ring.
“It’s frustrating,” Mahomes said of the break-ins during a recent press conference. “It’s disappointing.”
In August, six people in Southern California were arrested in connection to a tourism burglary ring after a Van Nuys car rental business was reportedly facilitating the illicit deeds.
For now, residents in the Valencia community remain frustrated as they’re forced to be on high alert. Some have even hired security patrols to protect their properties while also keeping an eye on their neighbors’ homes.
“There have been extra patrols, but it’s just very hard to get anything done with the current crime sprees happening in California,” the resident said.
Authorities are aware of the incidents and are investigating the burglaries, but so far, no arrests have been made.
