7 Arrested in LA County Burglary Ring

Los Angeles County prosecutors said on May 20 that seven defendants were charged in three separate residential burglary cases after a multi-agency investigation into break-ins across the San Fernando Valley, West Los Angeles, Burbank and Ventura County. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said the defendants were responsible for at least 20 burglaries, many in the San Fernando Valley. Sheriff Robert Luna, District Attorney Nathan Hochman, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell and Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff announced the arrests at a Wednesday news conference. Authorities said some of the crews used hidden cameras, Wi-Fi jammers and social media to help target homes. ### How broad was the burglary investigation? The district attorney’s office said the seven defendants were charged in connection with a surge of organized residential burglaries that affected the San Fernando Valley and surrounding communities over the past several months. NBC Los Angeles reported the arrests announced Wednesday were tied to burglaries in Ventura County, West Los Angeles, Burbank and other locations. (da.lacounty.gov) Nathan Hochman said in the district attorney’s release that the alleged conduct was “brazen, calculated and predatory,” and said the defendants were accused of prowling neighborhoods, forcing entry into homes and stealing from families. KTLA reported officials described the cases as tied to organized South American crime groups operating through Los Angeles and Ventura counties. (da.lacounty.gov) ### What happened in the Santa Clarita case? On May 1, Ventura County sheriff’s deputies tracked a suspected burglary crew into Santa Clarita, where a joint surveillance operation with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department led to three arrests, according to the district attorney’s office. Prosecutors identified those defendants as Christopher Sanchez, Owen Rivera-Chacon and Edisson Fabian Boyaca, each charged with one felony count of first-degree residential burglary. Rivera-Chacon also faces an allegation of a prior strike conviction for first-degree residential burglary. (da.lacounty.gov) The district attorney’s office said deputies followed the suspects’ vehicle, stopped it on the freeway and arrested Sanchez as the driver. Rivera-Chacon allegedly fled on foot and was detained in a nearby dry streambed, while Boyaca was arrested in a different car about a mile away. KTLA reported detectives later confirmed the suspects had just burglarized a home on the 24000 block of Matthew Place in Newhall and recovered currency, jewelry, a luxury handbag, a Wi-Fi jamming device, gloves and other tools. (da.lacounty.gov) ### Who is the suspect tied to the West Los Angeles burglaries? LAPD said officers arrested 22-year-old Kevin Diaz on May 4 after a resident on the 1500 block of Rexford Drive in West Los Angeles saw a man entering the home on surveillance video while the victim was inside. The victim locked himself in a bathroom and called 911, and officers later detained Diaz after a foot pursuit, LAPD said. (da.lacounty.gov) LAPD said West Los Angeles detectives identified Diaz as belonging to a South American theft group and connected him to about 25 burglaries across the city, including 14 in the Valley Bureau. NBC Los Angeles reported the suspect arrested in the Rexford Drive case was believed linked to as many as 18 residential burglaries, reflecting the count in the charges announced Wednesday. ### What tactics did investigators say the crews used? (lapdonline.org) Robert Luna said at least three of the burglaries involved hidden surveillance cameras and Wi-Fi jammers, according to NBC Los Angeles. Luna displayed a concealed camera disguised to blend into bushes and other vegetation and said the device contained a phone, a camera and extra batteries. KTLA reported investigators recovered a Wi-Fi jamming device in the Newhall case, and NBC Los Angeles said authorities believed some suspects also used social media to target victims. (lapdonline.org) Officials urged residents to notify neighbors or law enforcement when they plan to be out of town and to report suspicious devices found near homes. ### What happens next in court? (nbclosangeles.com) The district attorney’s office said Sanchez, Rivera-Chacon and Boyaca pleaded not guilty, and their preliminary hearing setting is scheduled for June 2 in Department G of the San Fernando Courthouse. Prosecutors said Rivera-Chacon’s bail was set at $125,000, Boyaca’s at $50,000, and Sanchez was released on his own recognizance subject to electronic monitoring over the prosecution’s objection. (nbclosangeles.com) If convicted as charged, prosecutors said Sanchez and Boyaca each face up to six years in state prison, while Rivera-Chacon faces up to 17 years. LAPD said the Diaz investigation remains ongoing and asked anyone with information to contact West Los Angeles detectives or Commercial Crimes Division investigators. (da.lacounty.gov)