Southern California family targeted in ‘dinnertime burglary’

Security video captured a home being targeted amid a troubling uptick of “dinnertime burglaries” across San Fernando Valley communities.

A Granada Hills home on Wood Ranch Road was targeted Wednesday night where thieves escaped with around $150,000 worth of valuables.

Several cases were recently reported where intruders broke into homes between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. — a time when people are believed to be out to dinner.

The homeowner, who did not wish to be identified, said he received a motion alert on his phone from a baby monitor showing four armed thieves breaking into his house and ransacking the interior.

He was returning home from Christmas shopping with his wife and their newborn baby when he spotted the thieves leaving their driveway in a getaway car.

Acting on impulse, he said he began chasing the suspects down and rammed their vehicle to prevent them from fleeing the neighborhood.

Video from a neighbor’s driveway shows the tense confrontation playing out on the street.

“When I got here, my neighbor pointed me in the direction of where the car was, so I drove in front of their car, blocked them and they went back,” the homeowner recalled. “I blocked the street and he went over the curb and broke his tire.”

The victim said he rammed the suspects’ vehicle about two to three times, causing damage.

“Then we started following them straight down [the street] and down there, he started spinning because of the broken tire and they started shooting at my car,” he said.

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No one was injured, but the thieves escaped with around $150,000 worth of valuable items from the victim’s home.

One neighbor recalled the tense incident playing out, fearful for their safety.

“I was sitting at a table just minding my business and I heard gunshots out of nowhere,” said Devendre Johnson. “There were cops all over the place.”

According to Los Angeles police, the suspects’ vehicle is described as a 2024 Mercedez-Benz sedan. At least one suspect was described as a Hispanic male, said LAPD.

Neighbors in the area are concerned about the troubling uptick of the so-called “dinnertime burglaries.” In a few instances, residents were still home at the time of intrusion.

A few weeks earlier, a Granada Hills homeowner was napping when he noticed three hooded intruders prowling his property. His home security app had alerted him and he was able to scare them off.

A Woodland Hills home was also targeted around the same time. The victims returned home to find their back door smashed in, security cameras ripped out of the walls and every room completely ransacked. Their valuable jewelry and personal items were all gone.

“It’s insane,” said Maria Turley, a local resident. “We’re not safe anymore. We’re a quiet little community. I’ve been here for 28 years. This doesn’t happen, but it’s become normal now.”

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Neighbors in the Greyhawk Ranch community of Granada Hills told KTLA there have been at least four break-ins within the past week alone.

Victims said thieves are often seen in high-end luxury vehicles and operate in groups of three or four people. They often use walkie-talkies or cell phones to communicate quickly. The encounters are also often violent.

“We are getting so many incidents recently,” the victim confirmed.

He’s hoping police are able to arrest the burglars soon before they target another home.

“They damaged everything we had,” the victim said. “It’s very upsetting. My wife is in shock. She just gave birth so she’s not doing well at all.”

The series of break-ins remains under investigation.

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