GOODER AND HARDER, CALIFORNIA: Sophisticated ‘burglary tourists’ fly from South America to rob wealthy homes, LAPD says.
In the desert around Scottsdale, Ariz., on Monday, police officers hunted for a member of an international heist ring suspected of swiping jewels and luxury goods from homes across Los Angeles. Using helicopters and drones, they eventually found him hiding under a tree.
The wanted man, it turned out, was a 17-year-old from Chile.
Authorities say the teenager and his two adult accomplices later admitted to breaking into multiple homes, part of a growing trend of “burglary tourism” from South America.
The Los Angeles Police Department said the teenage fugitive was first arrested Feb. 29 in Pacific Palisades along with three other Chileans as they cased homes in the wealthy enclave. Police tracked down the crew after a security camera captured the license plate of their 2024 Hyundai Tucson amid a series of burglaries across East Hollywood.
Increasingly over the last five years, police officials say, thieves from South American nations have entered the U.S. for the purpose of committing robberies. In the case of Chile, authorities suspect some criminals are taking advantage of the tourist visa system, which does not require a background check for travelers. Once in the country, police say, they plan heist sprees and fence the loot before dispatching their earnings back home.
LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton told The Times that South American theft groups are not new in L.A., but they have become more active in recent months.
Although crime statistics show burglaries are on the decline overall, Hamilton said: “The number of crimes tied to these kind of crews are way, way up.”
Unexpectedly. Or as John Nolte asks, “Why wouldn’t these gangs target wealthy neighborhoods in Democrat-run cities? Democrat-run cities are now magnets for every terrible thing in the world: an invasion of illegal aliens, violent criminals, burglaries, drug abuse, and pervasive homelessness. The moment you tolerate this behavior, you invite more of it. FYI: we don’t have these problems out here.”
But just think of the problems you do have!
It’s that horseshoe thing again. RW and LW loons share the insane belief that the upper Midwest is disproportionately white as the result of some nazi style lebensraum, when it turns out it’s only because the appeal of beer, ice fishing, and B1G West football is limited
— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) March 19, 2024