Traces from burglary crime scenes in Torrance may be tied to South American crime groups as the city sees a surge in home break-ins, the Torrance Police Department said Tuesday.
The members of the international crime groups are believed to have entered the U.S. without visa, committing crimes, such as high-end residential burglaries, before returning to their home countries.
The groups behind crime tourism often set up surveillance cameras in front of their targets and monitor the residents’ routines and vulnerabilities as seen in Arcadia and Garden Grove.
“Community members are urged to remain vigilant and take proactive measures to protect their homes and families,” Torrance police said while encouraging neighbors to increase awareness and secure their homes.
Police said the tactics used in Torrance residential burglaries seemed similar to the ones used by the international theft groups.
“Be observant of unfamiliar individuals or vehicles in your neighborhood. If you notice someone acting suspiciously, trust your instincts,” police said.
The same burglary style may also be replicated in Southern California by local criminals, according to Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell.
“Using jammers, more sophisticated pre-incident surveillance, where they may have cameras laid-out on the property or on a car parked on the street across from the target house for a period of time, to be able to determine pattern of life – to determine when a person is going to be home, when they’re going to be gone,” the LAPD chief explained.
One of the recent burglaries in Torrance involved three people forcing their way into a home in the middle of the day last weekend.
They broke in while the homeowner was away. When the resident returned home, the two burglars made away with thousands of dollars worth of items, including a firearm, and escaped in a getaway vehicle driven by an accomplice.
It was not immediately clear whether Saturday’s burglary is also linked to the South American theft rings.