Residents are frightened and angry as a group of suspects continue ransacking San Fernando Valley homes, leaving a trail of destruction behind.
A Valley Village resident said she was stunned and shaken up after thieves targeted her home on Dec. 17 between 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The break-in was captured on home surveillance cameras as a male suspect approached the house and appeared to be disguised as a delivery man.
“Ten minutes after we left [our home], someone was knocking at the door and our dog was barking away,” she said. “Then within a minute, someone had broken into the back of the house, smashed the glass door, came in and locked the dog in a room and just trashed the house. They took all of my jewelry.”
Photos of the aftermath showed drawers in every room were removed and emptied and all of the woman’s belongings were thrown across the floor in heaping piles.
“It was very frightening and very scary,” the homeowner, who did not want to be identified, told KTLA’s Angeli Kakade.
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A burglar is heard yelling, “Shut up bi*ch! I’m trying to steal!” as he rummages through a closet of clothing and accessories in Sherman Oaks. -
A suspect is seen on security footage rummaging through a victim’s closet in the San Fernando Valley. -
Three hooded burglary suspects run into the backyard of a San Fernando Valley home, knocking over any security cameras they spot. -
Home surveillance cameras captured a fake delivery man knocking on the front door of a Valley Village home while several suspects shattered the back door to burglarize the home on Dec. 17, 2024. -
The male suspect posing as a delivery person is seen walking away. -
The destructive aftermath of a burglary at a Valley Village home on Dec. 17, 2024. -
The destructive aftermath of a burglary at a Valley Village home on Dec. 17, 2024. -
Three hooded burglary suspects run into the backyard of a San Fernando Valley home, knocking over any security cameras they spot. -
Three hooded burglary suspects run into the backyard of a San Fernando Valley home, knocking over any security cameras they spot. -
The back door of a Valley Village home was shattered as a group of thieves ransacked the property on Dec. 17, 2024. -
The destructive aftermath of a burglary at a Valley Village home on Dec. 17, 2024.
She posted the surveillance video on the NextDoor app and was shocked to discover how many other nearby residents came forward with similar burglary stories.
“I didn’t know this was going on until I let our neighbors know and then you start finding out that it’s happening all the time,” another neighbor told KTLA.
A Sherman Oaks resident posted a video of a thief rummaging inside a closet and at one point, he was heard yelling to the homeowner, “Shut up bi*ch! I’m trying to steal!”
Victims reported the same details — a fake delivery man knocks on the front door to check if anyone’s home while several accomplices enter the house by shattering a back door or window.
At times, when the suspects would spot a security camera, they would quickly run over and knock it to the ground.
The Valley Village victim said she’s angry over the constant break-ins her community is forced to endure. The worst part, she said, was that she had no idea it was taking place. She believes local law enforcement needs to prioritize alerting citizens of burglary threats.
“I’m very frustrated because I feel like if people had let us know, maybe we could’ve taken more precautions,” she said.
The burglaries remain under investigation and no suspects have been arrested. Anyone with information can call the Los Angeles Police Department at 818-374-9500.
