Pickpocketed After 20 Minutes Of Dancing? In West Hollywood, You're Not Alone

The warnings start with a sign posted at one club entrance and spill onto the web where a stack of Google reviewers complain of fun nights ending in costly thefts.

In West Hollywood, a popular destination for nightclubs and bars, pickpocketing has been on the rise since late 2021.

Fanny Lapkin, a lieutenant with the L.A. Sheriff’s Department West Hollywood station, says grand theft pickpockets were at their worst last June — with 92 grand theft pickpockets — items above $950 — and 38 petty theft pickpockets reported. In all, nearly 400 grand theft pickpockets were reported there in 2022. That number’s at 190 so far this year.

Lapkin says the crimes have been tied to “organized theft groups (OTG)” that “are repeatedly targeting Los Angeles and West Hollywood nightclubs and taking advantage of intoxicated patrons.”

One clubgoer's spoiled night

Kimberly Hernandez, a postal worker in Bellflower celebrated her 22nd birthday at Rocco’s in West Hollywood. As Sept. 30 became Oct. 1, and her official birthday kicked off, the night went from laughs to tears as she realized her phone and wallet had been pickpocketed.

“I just came home crying,” Hernandez said. “I did nothing for my birthday but cry.”

Co-owned by local Adolfo Espinoza and NSYNC’s Lance Bass, Rocco’s WeHo draws people near and far, from neighborhood nightcrawlers to foreign sightseers. The club is known for pulsating with pop hits as partiers get energized by speedo-clad go-go dancers.

Entrance at Rocco's WeHo

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Espinoza, in an email, called theft in West Hollywood “insane in the past years not only at our locations but all over WeHo bars.”

For her part, Hernandez says she’s feeling the sting of losing an iPhone she was still paying off. And she says she felt security guards and bartenders seemed to turn a blind eye to her pleas for help. She says she was directed to file a report online by a sheriff.

“I just feel so violated,” Hernandez said.

An increase in thefts

Security guard Jax Hernandez works at the club Hi Tops across the street from Rocco’s and says they’ve seen an increase in pickpockets over the last year.

“A lot of them will pretend to be drunk. And as they're drunk, they get touchy and touchy with you and you just don't realize it,” Jax Hernandez said. “Next thing you know, your wallet or your phone are gone.”

They previously worked at Revolver, another West Hollywood bar, and said it was common to see stolen phones hidden in bushes lining storefronts or in trash bags strewn in an alleyway.

Recent reports on arrests have connected the thefts to organized crime groups of Colombian nationals that have targeted clubs locally in West Hollywood and Santa Monica and further away, like Louisiana. Police departments in other cities like New York have gone so far as creating a pickpocketing unit.

Google reviews of Rocco's WeHo

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Undercover task force in WeHo

The L.A. County Sheriff’s West Hollywood station has instituted an undercover task force to try to curb the issue. But it’s been a challenge to maneuver against experienced thieves who work in teams.

“It’s been difficult to identify these individuals,” Sheriff Deputy Jose Vega said. “At this point, they’re professionals.”

Jax Hernandez said at Hi Tops, which has security on staff, they try to keep individuals they believe are tied to pickpocketing out of the club.

But Kim Hernandez, whose phone was stolen last week, thinks more can be done as a matter of policy regularly if a business has a reputation for theft, like bag checks.

“What do they have to lose? It's not against policy to just ask them to open their purse if they're walking out, or if they see anything suspicious,” Kim Hernandez said. “It was just so crazy to me how something can happen to you like that, and nobody's willing to help.”

Tips on protecting your valuable from pickpockets

Law enforcement agencies and travel guides offer basic preventative steps anyone can take. These are based on tips from the North Miami police:

• Place your wallet in a front pocket, preferably one that buttons or zips. Back pockets on pants and suit jacket pockets — inside and out — are prime picking.
• Minimize what you are carrying in any unsecured pocket so if you are victimized, the damage is only what you can afford to lose.
• Patting your pockets to check for you wallet tells potential pickpockets exactly where it is. Don't do it.
• Don't keep your wallet in a purse, instead find a pocket where will not be obvious.
• Make sure your purse is hard to open and never leave it unattended.