LAPD reports 9th Valley burglary as Mayor Bass orders increased surveillance
Burglars attacked two more homes in and around the San Fernando Valley this weekend, bringing the total to nine since April 11.
The latest in a string of recent burglaries came after Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced Friday that she had ordered the Los Angeles Police Department to increase patrols along Ventura Boulevard.
Police were not sure if the burglaries were connected.
Police responded to a call Saturday night in Toluca Lake, where thieves were said to have gotten away with valuables such as jewelry and cash. The LAPD also responded to a call early Sunday morning of a burglary at a home in the Hollywood Hills.
Around 9:45 p.m. Saturday, police responded to a call at a home in the 4900 block of Strohm Avenue. The burglars opened a window to enter a room on the second floor. Police responded to a second call about 3:30 a.m. at a home a few miles away in the 3100 block of Lake Hollywood Drive.
Details of what the thieves stole from the home were not available Sunday morning.
In addition to the six Valley burglaries previously reported by The Times, police confirmed that officers responded to a call at 11:37 pm on April 15 at a home in the 12600 block of Herron Street in Sylmar. The back door was smashed and the house blown up.
“I have directed the LAPD to deploy resources on Ventura Boulevard and continue to make this area a priority in holding these criminals accountable,” Bass said in a statement Friday. “Citizens deserve to feel safe in their communities, especially in their own homes, and we will continue to deploy the necessary resources to keep people safe.”
Multiple burglaries near Ventura Boulevard
Four of the previous burglaries occurred within a two-mile radius of Ventura Boulevard, and the other occurred within a three-and-a-half-mile radius. Another house that was hit is about 8 kilometers away.
The first burglary was reported the night of April 11 in Sherman Oaks, in the 13000 block of Davana Terrace, about a block away from Ventura Boulevard.
Police responded the next day to a Hollywood Hills home in the 7100 block of Macapa Drive, where a resident entered the home around 9:30 pm and found multiple burglars inside. The police said that the criminals beat up the citizen, who received minor injuries.
On April 14, police responded to a home in Valley Village, in the 11700 block of Hesby Street, around 8:30 p.m. Less than an hour later, police were called to a home in Valley Glen, in the 12700 block of Hatteras Street, about a mile and a half away. Police said the suspects fled before arriving.
Another home in Valley Glen was targeted the next day, and police responded to a home in the 6800 block of Vanscoy Avenue. Two people dressed in gray broke in but fled before police arrived, according to the LAPD.
On Thursday, police responded to a call in Granada Hills about three men wearing masks and dark clothing breaking into a home in the 11900 block of Wood Ranch Road.
Additionally, “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” star Dylan Sprouse had an affair at his Hollywood Hills home on Friday. Sources with knowledge of the incident told The Times that Sprouse held the man in the grass near his home after his wife, Victoria's Secret model Barbara Palvin, saw a “scary guy.”
Police say the suspect who took warrants to get out of the couple's 1920s Spanish-style home, only entered the property.
The Mayor announces an increase in LAPD patrols
In addition to increased patrols, the LAPD is pulling more vehicles out of high-visibility areas; using mobile phone number plates in high-risk areas for burglary; using air support to conduct patrols; holding weekly burglary meetings with detectives; and working with special agencies such as the Robbery Homicide Division and the Commercial Crimes Division to “investigate high-value burglaries” as part of Bass' order.
At least one of Bass' opponents in the upcoming LA mayoral election has called out his recent actions.
“Bass appears to be tough on crime when he says he is 'ordering' the Chief of Police to direct police resources,” former TV personality turned mayoral hopeful Spencer Pratt wrote Saturday on X. “The City Charter is clear and limits the Mayor's authority in this regard. The Chief is solely responsible for the day-to-day operations of the police department.”
Bass has previously announced directives about the LAPD's deployment of tactics, including in March after a dispute erupted over the takeover of a street near a high-rise apartment building in the city.
Village residents have previously called for increased LAPD action
A burglary shook San Fernando Valley residents last year.
Some residents last summer said they were scared and angry after “American Idol” music director Robin Kaye, 70, and her rock musician husband, Tom DeLuca, also 70, were killed in their Encino home. Raymond Boodarian, 23, was charged with murder and burglary.
At the time, community leaders had asked Bass to strengthen security in the area following attacks on people's homes and a series of burglaries.
The Hayvenhurst Avenue home of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Teddi Mellencamp was also attacked in July by three assailants who jumped a fence and entered the property.
Times staff writers Salvador Hernandez, Cierra Morgan, Dakota Smith, Emily St. Martin and Richard Winton contributed to this report.
