TOPANGA—In a span of five months, intruders, which police are calling the “Distraction Burglars,” have been coercing victims into allowing them into their homes by using tactics such as declaring to be yard workers in the neighborhood looking for labor for the day. So far all victims have been elderly, and the first occurrence was in November 2010.

"Distraction Burglar" Sketch

The most recent robbery occurred on Tuesday, March 8, at 11:30 a.m. when two suspects approached the home of an elderly woman. One of the suspects identified himself as "Juan" and claimed he was a bee exterminator looking to provide his service in the victim's backyard. The other suspect then proceeded with their previously developed plan, and stole multiple items of jewelry. A news release provided by the Los Angeles Police Department on March 10 stated, “The suspect began walking through her house and advised her that the chemical in the bee spray would cause swelling. He went on to suggest that she remove her rings and assisted her with doing so by using water and liquid soap. After the rings were removed, he placed them in a paper towel and kept them.” Later on, the victim came to the realization that she could not find the rings, as well as other missing items, and immediately reported it to the authorities.

One suspect was approximately a 300-pound, 40-year-old white male. The second suspect, a Hispanic male, was reportedly 30 years of age and weighs about 130 pounds. One appeared to be about 5 feet, 2 inches tall, while the other is about 5 feet, 5 inches tall.

Photos courtesy of lapd.org

In a second news release, more information regarding these thefts stated that on January 28, at around 2 p.m., “elderly victims were approached by a single suspect who would use a ruse to get the victims to lead the suspect to the backyard, claiming to be doing work on a neighbor’s yard. Once the victim and suspect were in the backyard, additional suspects would go into the victims’ residence through an unlocked door, rummage through the victim’s property and take off with cash and jewelry.”

In this case, however, there were three suspects who were all described to be Hispanic, weighing on average 170-200 pounds. These suspects were reported to be in the same age range as the March 8 burglary.

Anyone with information regarding these crimes is urged to call Foothill Division burglary detectives at 818-834-3163. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls may be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may also contact Crime Stoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) using a cell phone.  All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.”  Tipsters can also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on "web tips" and follow the prompts.

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