Series of burglaries caught on camera in Mar Vista neighborhood

Neighbors in one Mar Vista neighborhood have started banding together after repeated targets by burglars in recent weeks, many of which have been captured on home surveillance footage. 

Most recently, just under a week ago, a trio of suspects can be seen hopping the fence of a property under construction before breaking into the home next door to Monica Richardson.

"They've been broken into four times in a year-and-a-half," Richardson said. 

Her security cameras showed the moments that the suspects bolt from the house, jumping into what looks like a light-colored, late model Toyota Camry.

Last weekend, on Set. 21, different video shows two men wearing all-black clothing and masks broke into a different home in the same neighborhood. Neighbors believe that the burglars are in search of jewelry and designer bags. 

Residents say that the burglars have a similar MO in each incident, often using a WiFi jammer to disrupt the signal at homes and turning off the power by using circuit breakers. 

In one instance, a shadowy figure can be seen standing outside of a home moments before the power is cut. 

Because of this, neighbors have started to work together to try and address the issue, which has many living in unease. 

"Taking shifts, walking the streets, looking at cars," said Tracey McCormac, who lives in the area. "Seeing if somebody is sitting in a vehicle, taking license plates, taking photos. The cops have instructed us not to interact with anyone, but I want those burglars to know we are here, we are watching them."

While they work to do their part, they're also hopeful that police can up their response times when called to the scene of these crimes. 

Los Angeles Police Department stats report that there have been just under 700 burglaries or break-ins in the West Los Angeles Division thus far in 2024, which is actually slighting down from last year's number and 814 in 2022. 

Despite these recent break-ins, LAPD says that similar crimes are actually down by about 30% between August and September and that they're constantly working to review crime trends to determine how they can most effectively handle department staffing to respond promptly.