Shocking moment thieves steal entire 500lb SAFE from $4million mansion in exclusive LA zip code after ransacking house for gold coins and jewelry
- Police are stepping up patrols in Valmonte, Los Angeles, after a spate of thefts
- Masked burglars stole a 500lb safe from a $4million property over the weekend
- Surveillance footage captured them loading up a car with various stolen items
- Perpetrators are usually accessing homes through the back doors and windows
Brazen thieves have been captured on surveillance footage ransacking a luxury home and hauling off a 500lb safe in their car.
The masked trio managed to gain access to the $4million property in Rolling Hills Estates, California, last weekend.
Surveillance footage showed the criminals using the sliding door to gain entrance while the homeowner was away.
Caitlynn Martin, daughter of the homeowner, told KTLA that she thought her mother did ‘all the right things’ and had ‘high tech locks’ in place.
Footage shows the thieves lugging a heavy safe out of the front door into a car, believed to be a Hyundai Santa Fe SUV, as well as several other items.
Caitlynn said: ‘She thought she did all the right things. She had cameras. She had all the doors locked.
‘She had some pretty high-tech locks on all the doors, and you think that you really had done everything right and it wasn’t.
‘It makes you feel very unnerved. My understand is this matches other burglaries that have been happening in the area.’
Two brazen thieves, wearing balaclavas and hats, lugged a 500lb safe full of valuables out the front door of a property after breaking in
Caitlynn Martin, daughter of the homeowner, said that she thought her mother did ‘all the right things’ and had ‘high tech locks’ in place
The group gained access at the back of the property, in an unsecured window or door, before ransacking it
Surveillance footage showed the criminals using the sliding door to gain entrance while the homeowner was away
A third man is thought to have been involved, understood to be the driver of the vehicle which was loaded up with the stolen items
Police have admitted that they are stepping up patrols after a spate of burglaries in the affluent area of Valmonte.
The crooks got away with a gold coin collection and jewelry, among other irreplaceable items, with two men ransacking the house and a third appearing to be the driver.
Caitlynn added that the home as been in her family for 40 years, and that she couldn’t have imagined anything like that happening.
Kate Cimmarusti, a neighbor, said: ‘You think your safe and protected and someone comes in and takes your things it’s the worst thing that could happen.’
Many of the properties targeted by the thieves do not have an alarm system or it was not working, with the burglaries mostly taking place in the early to late evening.
The perpetrators usually entering the homes through the back doors and windows, before making off with valuables.
Martin is hoping that someone might recognize the perpetrators, or the car seen in the surveillance video and report it to police.
The Palos Verdes Estates Police Department said are urging locals to lock their doors and leave lights on to make sure homes look occupied.
In a statement they said: ‘PVEPD detectives are currently investigating these incidents and the department will be providing extra patrol in the area.
‘Please remember to lock your doors, leave lights on to make your home look occupied and if you see something, say something.
‘For non-emergencies, call us 24/7 at 310-378-4211 and for emergencies, call 9-1-1.’
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