Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has directed police to deploy extra patrols on Ventura Boulevard following a series of residential burglaries in the San Fernando Valley.
Police have reported six houses being broken into by thieves in seven days in the valley and surrounding areas; No relation has been found between them. In one case about a week ago, a Hollywood Hills resident suffered minor injuries when he was attacked by burglars after discovering there were intruders in the home.
Then, Friday morning, police said they took a man into custody at the Hollywood Hills home of actor Dylan Sprouse, best known for his role on the mid-2000s Disney Channel sitcom “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody,” and his wife, Victoria’s Secret model Barbara Palvin.
Sources familiar with the incident told The Times that Sprouse’s wife saw him groping a man on the lawn near their home. Police told The Times that the man was detained on an outstanding warrant, and that the suspect had only entered the property, not the couple’s home. Police said there was no report of anyone being injured.
Dylan Sprouse and Barbara Palvin at Universal Studios Hollywood in 2023.
(Chris Pizzello/Associated Press)
Four of the six reported burglaries occurred within two miles of Ventura Boulevard. One was about three and a half miles from the boulevard, and the other about eight miles away.
As part of Bass’s directive, the Los Angeles Police Department is also deploying more patrol vehicles to high-visibility locations; using mobile license plate readers around high-risk theft areas; using air support to patrol; holding weekly theft meetings with detectives; And “collaborating with specialized divisions such as the Robbery Homicide Division and the Commercial Crimes Division to investigate burglaries involving high value losses,” the mayor’s office said.
“I have directed the LAPD to strategically deploy resources along Ventura Boulevard and prioritize this area by holding these criminals accountable,” Bass said in a statement. “Residents deserve to feel safe in their communities, especially in their homes, and we will continue to deploy the necessary resources to keep people safe.”
The first of six burglaries was reported on the evening of April 11 in Sherman Oaks, in the 13000 block of Davana Terrace, about a block off Ventura Boulevard. Officers received a radio call about a home burglary that had occurred the day before, but by the time they arrived the suspects were gone. Police did not release information about what the thieves stole, but said one of the thieves was wearing all black.
The next day, police were called to a Hollywood Hills home in the 7100 block of Makapae Drive, where a resident had entered the home around 9:30 p.m. and found multiple burglars inside. The thieves attacked the resident, causing minor injuries, LAPD Officer Charles Miller said. The thieves took several items and fled in a gray Hyundai car; He was wearing a gray hoodie and black pants.
On Tuesday, police responded to a Valley Village home in the 11700 block of Hesby Street about 8:30 a.m. The burglars were gone by the time officers arrived, Miller said.
Less than an hour later, officers were called to a home in Valley Glen, about a mile and a half away, in the 12700 block of Hatteras Street. It appears that the thieves had fled by the time the police arrived.
On Wednesday, police responded to another home in Valley Glen in the 6800 block of Vanscoy Avenue, where two men wearing gray hoodies broke in. Police were called around 9:30 p.m., but the thieves had already fled.
Then Thursday in Granada Hills, about nine miles northwest, three men wearing masks and black clothing were reported breaking into a home in the 11900 block of Wood Ranch Road. The men left before officers arrived, Miller said, and they left without stealing anything from the home.
A spate of burglaries last year has shocked San Fernando Valley residents.
Last summer some residents said they were afraid and angry after “American Idol” music supervisor Robin Kaye, 70, and her rock musician husband, Tom DeLuca, 70, were murdered by an intruder in their Encino home. Raymond Booderian, 23, was charged with murder and burglary.
Police said the couple were returning to their $4.5 million home when they noticed Boudaryan. The suspect allegedly shot the couple multiple times, police said. Los Angeles police did not find their bodies until four days later, when officers were sent to the home for a welfare check.
Police said last year that the murders of Kaye and DeLuca appeared to be random. Although the couple’s home was well secured, the suspect managed to get in through an open door.
“The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Teddi Mellencamp’s Havenhurst Avenue home was also targeted in July by three intruders who jumped the fence and entered the property.
In August, Los Angeles leaders announced the arrests of several alleged South L.A. gang members accused of burglarizing nearly 100 homes and businesses, primarily on the city’s Westside.
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said last year that those arrested were believed to be part of a group that called itself the “Rich Rollin’ Burglary Crew,” which focused on confiscating expensive jewelry, purses and guns. Expensive watches and luxury wallets and suitcases were also targeted, he said.
At a meeting with the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association last summer, McDonnell said there were two main groups targeting homes in the Encino area: South American crews — whose members come on 90-day visas — and South Los Angeles.
He warned that some groups in South L.A. may target homes based on what residents display on social media.
“You’re showing off Rolexes, fancy bags, fancy cars, things like that. You make yourself a target,” he said at the meeting.
Theft teams may also follow people to expensive restaurants to see what type of car they have. He said thieves can also install small cameras in flower beds outside the house to monitor the activities of residents.
Times staff writers Salvador Hernandez, Sierra Morgan, Dakota Smith, Emily St. Martin and Richard Vinton contributed to this report.
