Following the arrest of four burglary suspects in late June and early July, investigators continue to search for others who may have been involved in what Los Angeles police have dubbed the “Reflector Vest Crew”.
The nickname stems from fact that the group uses a scout, usually dressed as a construction worker, to knock on a resident’s home and see if it is unoccupied before the other suspects enter through the back. The door-knocker wears a baseball hat or hard hat, often carrying a cell phone and hard case construction pad or exterminator bottle, a neon reflective vest, construction pants, and an orange shirt with black sleeves that resemble a Caltrans uniform, Los Angeles police Detective Brandon McConnell said.
So far, more than 30 burglarized residences in wealthy Los Angeles neighborhoods, including West Hollywood, Studio City and West Los Angeles have been linked to the crew from March to June 2024, the Los Angeles Police North Hollywood Division said in a statement.
The burglary crew, believed to be affiliated with a South Los Angeles street gang, used tactics often seen with South American theft rings, including shattering a rear window or glass door before “ransacking” the master bedroom and closet for high-end items. Roughly $3 million worth of stolen cash, jewelry, designer bags, shoes and firearms were reported by victims in North Hollywood alone, McConnell said.
The crew reportedly used WiFi jammers to disrupt home security systems, along with walkies-talkies and multiple rented vehicles to avoid being tracked and identified by police. Then, on June 27, detectives caught and arrested three suspects; a 39-year-old Los Angeles man, a 21-year-old Ontario man, and a 21-year-old Los Angeles man during a residential burglary in Studio City, police said.
On July 3, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Burglary-Robbery Task Force served a search warrant on the residence of the 39-year-old suspect’s girlfriend, resulting in the recovery of several thousand dollars, jewelry appraisals, two stolen firearms and evidence linking the three suspects to the residential burglaries. The 33-year-old woman is accused of helping her boyfriend by renting cars used to commit the burglaries and storing the stolen items at her residence, according to investigators.
She was arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen property.
Police ask 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.
