One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Strange L.A. Crime: 'The Hollywood Hills Burglar Bunch,' AKA the 'Bling Ring' Robbers
Other than their celebrity, what do Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Audrina Patridge, Orlando Bloom, Rachel Bilson, Brian Austin Green, Ashley Tisdale and Megan Fox all have in common. They were all victims of burglaries apparently committed by the same group, mostly made up of teens.
TMZ has given them a cute name: "The Hollywood Hills Burglar Bunch." The LA Times refers to it as the "Bling Ring" burglary case. We just find it fascinatingly weird.
Three 18-year-olds, a 19-year-old and a 27-year-old have been charged in the burglaries, which have netted some $3 million in goods. Another suspect, Jonathan "Johny Dangerous" Ajar, 27, remains at large and is considered armed and dangerous.
The LA Times describes their process:
The group studied television shows, celebrity magazines and websites, picking out clothing and jewelry they wanted, according to Los Angeles police detectives. They then figured out where the celebrities lived and, after casing the homes, broke in and took what they wanted, detectives said. The suspects allegedly staked out the residences, sometimes more than once, the detectives added.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
