By JAMES GAGE | Reporter
Pacific Palisades was more bedlam than Bethlehem this holiday season as a string of burglaries, package thefts and car break-ins swept across town from Marquez Knolls to the Alphabet Streets, and from The Huntington to The Riviera.
First reported in the January 3 edition of the Palisadian-Post, a string of four burglaries occurred in Via Mesa on December 19, followed by a theft on the 500 block of Los Liones Drive and a burglary on Napoli Drive in The Riviera on December 21.
More theft was reported on Pacific Coast Highway on December 24, with a following burglary reported on December 26 in The Riviera, as well as a theft reported on December 27 on Sunset Boulevard and a burglary in Rustic Canyon on the same date.
On January 4 around 6:30 p.m., an additional home was burglarized on De Pauw Street in Via Mesa near four vacant lots under construction. The suspects took a computer, jewelry and watches.
An alarm at the home was turned on but didn’t activate at the time of the burglary. CCTV footage at the home captured four suspects wearing ski masks and hooded sweatshirts.
The modus operandi for the December 19 burglaries is a close match to a similar string of six burglaries that occurred January 24-26 of last year in The Huntington and Alphabet Streets.
The suspect—a six-foot-tall male, 180 pounds, wearing a mask and gloves—smashed glass sliding windows and door panels at six separate residences, stealing jewelry, cash and other incidentals, including an airsoft gun.
“The physical description of the subject was identical,” said one of the victims of the January 2018 burglaries. “The breaking of glass to gain entry, the stealing of jewelry, the use of a walkie-talkie—every detail was identical. Even the clothing worn was the same. It must be the work of the same person and accomplice in a getaway car.
“So, they’ve struck again in the Palisades.”
As the Post went to print, LAPD Senior Lead Officer Michael Moore did not respond to inquiries of whether or not LAPD believes the suspect to be the same person—or if the number of break-ins is unusually high or normal for this time of year.
Councilmember Mike Bonin has secured additional police and fire resources for the Westside.
“I am gravely concerned about the reported rash of crimes, and continue to make increased public safety a priority for Pacific Palisades,” 11th District Councilmember Mike Bonin said in a recent interview with the Post.
“Securing additional police and fire resources for my district has been my focus, and as a result of my efforts, LAPD Chief Moore will be deploying 200 more officers to patrol duty later this month. That’s in addition to the 378 officers redeployed to neighborhood patrols last year, dozens of which were assigned to the Westside.
“I will also be raising the issue of property crime in Pacific Palisades with Captain Vic Davalos, the new commanding officer of the LAPD’s West LA station. He shares my determination that every resident of Los Angeles should feel safe in their home.”
As the rash of burglaries continue, Palisadian victims share their concerns.
“Having never been burglarized in a long-term residency here in the Palisades village, it was a shock to be a part of an organized burglary on December 19,” one Palisades resident and burglary victim said. “Most of our homes have alarm systems, security patrols, some Ring alerts, and these criminals have no problem breaking windows, breaking locks and bold theft. We’ve lived in the Palisades since 1979 and we’ve never been burglarized …
“It’s disturbing to see this happen in this beautiful, idyllic community, but that’s the world we’re living in.”
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