San Fernando Valley residents fearful, frustrated after 2 more break-ins

Thieves targeted two more homes in the western San Fernando Valley Thursday night, successfully ransacking one in what was at least the tenth burglary in the area over the past month.

In the most recent case, a resident who was home at the time reported at least two people trying to break into his Sherman Oaks home on Addison Street near Van Nuys Boulevard.

He said the burglars ran away through the property’s backyard toward Morrison Street and got away before police arrived. It’s unclear if anything was taken from the home.

The homeowner was not physically injured but was left shaken by the incident.

Neighbor Elmer Tzoz thanked officers for their hard work but hoped more could be done.

“I hope we can find a better way to keep this [crime] lower because it’s not good,” he said. At this point, I feel unsafe now because something happened nearby me.”

A few hours earlier, police investigated another break-in at a home on Rancho Street in Encino. The homeowners found the place ransacked when they returned to the house around 9 p.m.

Burglaries have become a nightly event since mid-July and have left west Valley residents and business owners on edge. Investigators have not determined if all or even most of the incidents can be linked to a single crew.

Burglars hit 2 more San Fernando Valley homes; 8 this month

“These guys, we just have to get more sophisticated with the security systems. We’re there watching … ‘Hey, they’re there, they’re there.’ … I mean, if the cops had been here a little earlier, they would have caught these guys red-handed,” El Mariachi Mexican Grill owner Fernando Lopez said after his Encino restaurant was robbed Thursday morning.

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