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LAPD Detective Suspects The Crips Are Behind A String Of Celebrity Robberies
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A string of burglaries plaguing celebrities and other wealthy individuals around L.A. may be linked primarily to the Rollin 30s Harlem Crips of South L.A., according to the Associated Press.
As an LAPD detective explained to the AP, gang members will target wealthy neighborhoods, handpicking five or so gang members to drive around a neighborhood and find targets for burglaries.
"They are looking for homes where they think there's a lot of jewelry inside, BMWs, Mercedes, brand-new cars in the driveway," LAPD Detective William Dunn said. When the gang members settle on a target, they knock on the front door and if no one answers, they break in. "They don't take televisions or laptops or iPads," said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Michael Maher, a member of the agency's specialized burglary task force. "Typically it's a hunt for cash, jewelry and weapons."
This being L.A., if you break into enough homes in wealthy neighborhoods, you'll eventually burglarize a celebrity or two. Most recently, Nicki Minaj, Alanis Morrissette, Yasiel Puig, Emmy Rossum, and Nick Young have all been victims of "flocking" — the term used to describe how street gangs "flock" to these wealthy neighborhoods to commit their crimes.
In February, Morrissette's Brentwood manse was robbed of $2 million of jewelry.
Former Lakers star Derek Fisher's Tarzana home was robbed of his five championship rings, along with $300,000 worth of jewelry back in January.
And just this week, Shameless star Emmy Rossum was robbed of $150,000 in antique jewelry from her West L.A. home.
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According to TMZ, Fisher's home was entered through the side door, while Emmy Rossum's house was entered through a glass pane at the back, and power was cut to deactivate the alarm system.
However, when Soulja Boy's Hollywood Hills home was hit in January, the burglars busted down the front door to enter.
LAPD was unable to comment on the connection between the Crips and the burglaries when LAist reached out to them.
According to LAPD Officer Tony Im, "Our office cannot comment on the connection because the information has not been made available to us at this point."
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