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LAKE BALBOA, LOS ANGELES () — Los Angeles police are searching for suspects after a Lake Balboa family returned home Saturday evening to find thousands of dollars in valuables stolen, the latest burglary in a recent string of crimes across the San Fernando Valley.
Police said an unknown number of suspects broke into the home in the 7000 block of Shoshane Avenue while the residents were away and took about $15,000 worth of jewelry and another $10,000 in miscellaneous items.
Neighbors say the break-in is part of a troubling pattern in the area over the past several weeks.
“There’s this one, there was one a couple blocks down, then a few blocks after that. It’s all really shocking and it really makes you be very well-aware of your surroundings and who’s hanging around that shouldn’t be and things like that,” said Joey Licata, who lives in Lake Balboa.
Licata said neighbors have responded by forming an informal neighborhood watch as concerns about safety grow.
“I’ve known many people on this block for many years and everybody on this block is not afraid to protect themselves and protect their families, so I would obviously hate for anything bad to happen to anybody,” he said.
The Lake Balboa burglary is one of several recent crimes reported throughout the Valley. The map below shows an uptick in burglaries over the past two weeks, many of them near Ventura Boulevard and in the communities of Sherman Oaks, Woodland Hills, Encino and Tarzana.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced increased police patrols on April 17 in an effort to curb the crimes. Since that announcement, there have been at least five burglaries reported in the San Fernando Valley.
“No one’s immune to it. It can be in a really rough part of town, or it can be a super high class part of town. It doesn’t matter. If they’re out looking for trouble and looking for places to rob, they’ll find them,” Licata said.
Investigators are using a number of tools to try to stop the thefts, including automated license plate readers, as they continue searching for those responsible.
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