‘Hot Prowl’ Burglar Is Target of Police Search After 100 Break-Ins

Police do not know much about a man believed to have broken into about 100 expensive homes in the Westside and the San Fernando Valley since June. But of one thing police are sure--their man has a nose for high-ticket items.

While his victims sleep, the burglar carefully selects some of their most valuable possessions, bypassing such items as television sets and stereos.

“We’re talking jewelry, paintings and, believe it or not, crystal,” Los Angeles Police Officer Rick Sullivan said.

In one house, the thief moved several pieces of furniture to get at an antique Oriental rug. On other occasions he has lifted the car keys, loaded his loot into the owner’s car, and left with both. “He rips off what he wants and takes the car and leaves,” Los Angeles Police Lt. Joe Garcia said.

In police lingo, the case is known as a “hot prowl,” referring to a thief who chooses to do his work in the unwitting company of his victims.

“I think this guy has some kind of a death wish,” Sullivan said. “He’s very brazen and bold. It seems that he wants the people to be home when he goes in.”

The burglar has struck in such communities as Bel-Air, Encino and Sherman Oaks, usually between 3 and 6:30 a.m. He often enters through open doors and windows.

‘Only Shadows’

“People don’t realize they’ve been hit until they wake up,” Sullivan said. “He’s never really been seen, only shadows. By the time people go to investigate, he’s gone.”

Based on those shadowy glimpses, homeowners have described the thief as white, male and in his late 20s. “That doesn’t really give us much,” Garcia said.

Police from several Los Angeles stations are hunting for the man, and they are turning to the public for help, asking homeowners to report strangers, strange vehicles and strange noises.

“He has to to have some skill and a little bit of luck,” Garcia said.