Hermosa woman robbed in her home on The Strand
Last weekend, burglars went through every room of two Hermosa Beach Strand homes and emptied drawers and cupboards looking for valuables.
A midnight home invasion and a burglary Friday in north Hermosa Beach are the latest in a string of home burglaries on The Strand this past week.
According to the Hermosa Beach Police Department, a female resident woke up in her bedroom to find two strangers rummaging around. They told her they were police officers but refused to show credentials, subsequently forcing the victim to accompany them around the residence in search of valuables. Before making their escape with jewelry and cash, they forced her into the bathroom.
Next door, the burglar alarm system was sounding. According to police, another suspect broke into a neighbor’s unoccupied house while the robbery described above was occurring. The electricity to the house had been turned off, likely by the suspect, accounting for the delay in the burglary alarm. Police are still determining the neighbor’s loss and do not yet know whether the two crimes were related.
Suspects are described as male adults between 20 and 30 years old. They were seen wearing all black clothing.
These incidents follow just five days after two other homes on The Strand were burglarized. Last weekend, burglars smashed a brick through a leaded glass window in the front door and made away with a family’s 300-pound safe containing personal documents, cash, bank books and a WWII pistol valued at $10,000. The next door house, whose owners were also away, was also broken into, and the burglars took several thousand dollars in jewelry.
In the most recent incident, Sgt. Robert Higgins said he believes the suspects entered through an unlocked door that led straight into the bedroom. There were no signs of forced entry. He said detectives have processed the scenes and have some leads on forensic evidence. The investigation is ongoing.
“It’s summer time and folks are leaving their doors and windows open,” Sgt. Higgins said. “And if the residents go away on vacation, their houses look like they’re vacant.”
Police advise residents to keep the ground-level and easily accessible doors locked and closed. When they are away from their homes for extended periods of time, residents are advised to set up a nighttime lighting system and have their mail, newspapers and deliveries diverted or picked up.