LAPD Targets "Follow-Home" Robbery Crime Wave..A TRUE 3RD WORLD COUNTRY NOW!

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Police are ramping up efforts to crush an escalating wave of violent crime in the Los Angeles area targeting popular shopping districts, wealthy residents, and celebrities.

A spate of “follow-home” robbers turned deadly this week, resulting in the murder of a 23-year-old man outside of a restaurant on Sunset Boulevard Nov. 23.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) responded to the homicide by announcing the formation of a “Follow Home Task Force.” The county sheriff also declared his intention to do what it took to stop the growing trend.

Violent crimes are on the rise in Los Angeles. Area law enforcement reported an increase of nearly 4 percent since 2019, according to the latest law enforcement numbers released in October.

Police Chief Michel Moore said gang violence was an underlying influence.

The department had identified 133 robberies connected to the trend of suspects following victims home from Melrose Avenue, the Jewelry District, and high-end restaurants and nightclubs, Moore said this week.

“The victims were being targeted based on the high-end jewelry they were wearing or the high-end car they were driving,” the LAPD said in a Nov. 24 release.

Last week, the LAPD reported that six gangs were involved in the violent “follow-home robberies” spree.

“When we look at the underlying influences of that street violence … Those involved with gangs continue to be the highest area of concentration,” Moore told NBC Los Angeles in June.

Los Angeles, nicknamed the “Gang Capital of America,” has about 450 active gangs operating in the county, the LAPD reported in September.

Street gangs were involved in a 37 percent increase in murders by June, Moore told reporters, adding that he believed the overall spikes in killings and shootings were related to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

The city has seen a 49 percent increase in homicides, recording 325 in the first 10 months this year, and a 16 percent jump in aggravated assaults.

The number of people shot climbed to 1,203 by Oct. 23—a 50 percent jump since 2019—according to the report. The number of shooting victims was about 122 a month from August through October.

Criminals have also targeted vehicles, resulting in a dramatic rise of 50 percent in auto thefts this year.

During that same time, law enforcement recorded a 28 percent decrease in arrests, with arrests for violent crimes dropping nearly 9 percent in the Los Angeles area.

The LAPD reported making 16 percent fewer traffic stops and almost 2 percent, or 770, fewer arrests this year, compared to last year. Officers made 34 percent fewer stops this year and 31 percent fewer arrests than five years ago.

The apparent gang-related robberies follow a trend—dubbed as “burglary tourism” by the police—involving Chilean gangs identified last year.

In 2020, law enforcement alerted the public about gangs of Chilean nationals using visa waivers to come to the U.S. for the purpose of burglarizing homes, businesses, and vehicles.

In February, five Chilean men were arrested in connection to a burglary spree that targeted trailheads and dog parks throughout Thousand Oaks.

County, State to Join Efforts Targeting Criminals
Los Angeles County and state officials said this week they intended to increase efforts to curtail the crime wave.

The county sheriff Alex Villanueva also said his department would take steps to stop the recent rash of violence.

“This is completely unacceptable,” Villanueva wrote in a social media post Nov. 23.

“As long as I am your Sheriff, we will do what it takes to stop this growing trend of lawlessness. This is what happens when you defund the police.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday he planned to send a budget proposal to lawmakers in January that contained “an exponential increase of support” to help cities and counties fight organized retail theft and “other quality of life issues.”

Decrease in Police Presence
Law enforcement responded quickly at first to the uptick in shootings and robberies in the Melrose Avenue area this year by increasing foot and horse patrols, but that has diminished.

The lack of police presence this week concerned some residents and businesses on the avenue after recent robberies.

Celebrities, Wealthy Residents Targeted
Celebrity Dorit Kemsley of “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” reported Oct. 27 she was followed to her Encino home by two men wearing masks. A home video showed the men smashing sliding glass doors to gain entry before taking as much as $1 million in valuables.

Former BET host “Terrence J” Jenkins was followed to his Sherman Oaks home at about 3 a.m. Nov. 10 by four masked men in a silver Jeep Cherokee, police reported. One of them ordered him out of his car, but he and a passenger drove away, instead, and were followed by the suspects. Shots were fired, but no one was injured, according to reports.

Actor and comedian Jeremy Piven reported a burglary at his home in the Hollywood Hills in October when $20,000 worth of clothing was stolen, he said.

Singer Rihanna’s Los Angeles home was also targeted in July when a man reportedly jumped one of her walls in an attempt to break into her house, police reported.