Thieves broke into a locked room at The Ridge Senior Living in Westlake Village on June 3 and made off with a resident's driver's license, credit cards, cash and jewelry — then allegedly went on a shopping spree with the stolen plastic at jewelry counters and an Apple Store across two counties. Investigators are still trying to identify the suspects behind the burglary, which happened at the facility on Cedar Valley Drive near the Lindero Canyon exit of the 101 Freeway.
According to the NBC Los Angeles report, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says the suspects broke into the victim's locked room and took off with the identification, cards, cash and jewelry before putting the stolen credit cards to use almost immediately. An unauthorized charge hit the victim's account the same day at the KAY Jewelers store inside Pacific View Mall in Ventura, according to KTLA.
Spree Continued the Next Day in Northridge
The following day, two more unauthorized charges were rung up at the Apple Store and Zales Jewelers inside the Northridge Fashion Center, the same report notes. Surveillance video from the shopping trips shows one of the suspects climbing into the passenger side of a white Toyota Camry after the Ventura purchase, while the group was seen getting into or out of a red Dodge Durango the next day in Northridge.
There's a wrinkle in the vehicle description, though. A photo released by deputies of the car in question appears to show a Lexus sedan rather than a Camry, even though the sheriff's department identified the first vehicle as a Camry, per the same account. It's not clear from the available evidence which description is accurate, and investigators have not resolved the discrepancy publicly.
Wider Pattern of Organized Burglaries in the Area
The senior living break-in comes amid a broader run of organized burglary activity reported around Westlake Village. In a separate case detailed by the Los Angeles Times, four men were booked on residential burglary and conspiracy charges after allegedly stealing $100,000 worth of belongings from a Westlake Village home on May 5, when a resident returned to find the house ransacked. Bail in that case was set at $500,000 for each of the four men, and authorities said they believe the group is part of a transnational organized crime burglary crew tied to at least one similar crime elsewhere in Southern California.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the Ventura County Sheriff's Office expects to find additional victims connected to that investigation, though none had been identified at the time.
Authorities Seeking Tips From the Public
Investigators are asking anyone who recognizes the suspects from the surveillance footage, or who has any information about them, to contact the sheriff's department. Tipsters can call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477) or submit information anonymously through the P3 Tips mobile app, available from Google Play or the Apple App Store.
