Silver Lake, Echo Park residents hope serial thief is brought to justice

Residents of Silver Lake and Echo Park say they’re annoyed by what they’re calling an absence of progress by the Los Angeles Police Division on a serial thief who has plagued them for months.

The neighbors say they’ve collected proof, together with surveillance footage and photographs, exhibiting the person’s face and even the vehicles he has pushed, but the LAPD has but to make an arrest.

Samantha, who needs solely to be recognized together with her first title, stated the person stole her automotive lately, and when she shared her info with neighbors, they found some similarities, together with that he normally strikes between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. Fridays.

“That’s form of what appears to be the sample, stealing vehicles, breaking into vehicles, stealing individuals’s private property. I had him on digital camera utilizing a key-fob replicator to unlock my door, after which he simply will get in and takes the automotive,” Samantha stated.

The neighbors have created a TikTok video they hope will go viral, bringing extra consideration to the thefts.

Many victims are annoyed, believing the LAPD just isn’t doing all it could possibly.

Detective Michael Ventura of the Northeast Division stated cops are on the case, however he added that this case just isn’t a easy one.

“We’re going to do our greatest that we are able to by way of further patrols, working with our neighborhood companions by way of neighborhood watches, making an attempt to harden the targets by individuals having safety digital camera, having safety gates, these sorts of issues. Once we do have issues like this, we exhaust each considered one of our investigative leads,” Ventura stated.

“Due to COVID, due to the pandemic and due to the issues which are occurring within the jails, there are specific issues as to, can these guys keep in jail? On the finish of the day, it’s not a homicide and it’s not a rape. It’s a property crime, so we’ll make a willpower concerning the applicable submitting, and the way a lot time they do, that’s actually out of the LAPD’s arms,” he added.