14 Serial Home Invasions in West LA, No Break So Far

Between May 31 and July 29, there have been at least 14 similar burglaries and home invasions in the West LA area, including two that took place in Santa Monica and Culver City that detectives say could be tied to the their cases (Note: if you live in the area, check the interactive Google map below to see if any are near you). All victims have been elderly woman with incidents occurring in the late-night or early morning hours. The suspect will enter through the window, wake the victim, demand money and jewelery and ransack the home before leaving. However, in the last incident on Tuesday, July 29, which had similar motives and suspect description, there was a pattern change. Instead of the usual time of day, it changed to the afternoon--4:00 p.m. to be exact.

The suspect is described as a male Black, approximately 25-40 old, 6 feet tall and weighs around 200 pounds, according to the LAPD. He wears all dark clothing, dark colored gloves and a ski-mask during the robberies.

"We're really hoping to have something to break here," explained Detective Jason De La Cova to LAist over the phone. "We're trying to find a common denominator between the victims." He says the suspect pool is so large at this point, that is makes it a big challenge.

The Los Angeles Police Department is asking the public's assistance in identifying this suspect. Anyone who has information is urged to contact Robbery-Homicide Detectives at 213-485-2511. On weekends or during off-hours, call the 24-hour toll free number at 1-877-LAWFULL (529-3855).

13 of the 14 incidents are marked above | View Larger Map

Photo by CarbonNYC via Flickr