GRIFFITH PARK—Officials from the Los Angeles Police Department are warning tourists, who are looking to visit the Griffith Park area, of the recent upsurge in car thefts. The department held a press conference regarding the matter on Tuesday, August 23.
Many of these thefts have been taking place at the Griffith Park Observatory parking lot and around the Greek Theater. According to reports, there have been 121 car break-ins in the area, 63 of them since May of this year.
Police stated that the suspects are targeting rental vehicles with valuables located within the vehicle in plain sight. The thieves are also targeting vehicles with out-of-state plates.
“When they see a rental car appear in the park, there’s a greater likelihood that there will be money, credit cards, IDs, possibly passports and or valuables, so those tend to be targeted and hit much more often,” said Detective Michael Ventura.
Officials stated that they believe that the suspects behind the string of thefts originates from the Northern California area.
“We have been tracking organized theft groups that have been coming from Northern California,” said Detective Michael Ventura of the LAPD. “We can see where the cars were rented, they originate in NorCal, come down here, go to Griffith Park, Hollywood and Venice Beach.”
According to police it takes as little as 10 seconds to break into a vehicle and get away with valuables. They advise that you keep your valuables hidden out of plain sight if you are going to leave it in your car.
By Christianne
