LA Police Arrest 4 Home Burglary Suspects, Part of Reflector Vest Crew – Daily News

The nickname “Reflector Vest Crew” comes from the fact that the group used a scout, usually disguised as a construction worker, to knock on a resident’s house to see if it was unoccupied before the other suspects entered through the back door. (Courtesy of Los Angeles Police Department)

Following the arrest of four burglary suspects in late June and early July, investigators continue to search for additional individuals who may have been involved in what the Los Angeles Police Department calls the “Reflector Vest Crew.”

The nickname comes from the fact that the group used a scout, usually dressed as a construction worker, to knock on a resident’s home to see if it was unoccupied before the other suspects entered through the back door. The door knocker wore a baseball cap or construction helmet, often a cell phone and a construction pad or exterminator bottle, a neon-colored safety vest, construction pants and an orange shirt with black sleeves reminiscent of a Caltrans uniform, said Los Angeles Police Department Detective Brandon McConnell.

So far, more than 30 residential burglaries in affluent Los Angeles neighborhoods, including West Hollywood, Studio City and West Los Angeles, have been linked to the gang between March and June 2024, the Los Angeles Police North Hollywood Division said in a statement.

The burglary gang, believed to be linked to a South Los Angeles street gang, used tactics commonly seen among South American thieves, such as breaking a rear window or glass door before “ransacking” the master bedroom and closet for high-value items. In North Hollywood alone, victims reported the theft of about $3 million worth of cash, jewelry, designer bags, shoes and firearms, McConnell said.

The gang reportedly used Wi-Fi jammers to disrupt the homes’ security systems, as well as walkie-talkies and several rented vehicles to avoid being tracked and identified by police. Then, on June 27, detectives arrested three suspects: a 39-year-old Los Angeles man, a 21-year-old Ontario man and a 21-year-old Los Angeles man in a home burglary in Studio City, police said.

On July 3, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Burglary and Robbery Task Force obtained a search warrant for the 39-year-old suspect’s girlfriend’s home, resulting in the seizure of several thousand dollars, jewelry appraisals, two stolen firearms and evidence linking the three suspects to the home burglaries. The 33-year-old woman is accused of helping her boyfriend by renting the cars used in the burglaries and keeping the stolen items in her home, investigators said.

She was arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen goods.

Police are asking anyone with information that could lead to the identification of additional victims or witnesses to contact LAPD North Hollywood Burglary Detectives at 818-754-8410.