IRVINE : Burglars Targeting Homes of Asians

Fourteen Asian families living in a mile-square region near Irvine High School have recently been the targets of burglaries that police suspect were the work of Asian gangs.

The crimes fit a trend of Asian gangs turning away from home-invasion robberies to the tamer crime of burglary, police gang experts say.

The rash of Irvine burglaries occurred during a monthlong period from the end of May through June and seem to be the work of Asian gangs targeting Asian families, Police Inspector Mike Welch said this week. Asian gangs often prey on the homes of Asians because of the higher probability of finding cash and expensive jewelry and because Asians are less likely to report the crimes to police, Welch said.

“What’s consistent with the victims is they’re all well-to-do,” Welch said. “We’re seeing some high dollar losses. They’re taking clothing, jewelry, guns and gold.”

The burglaries fit a general pattern of the home being quickly ransacked, with such items as jewelry, passports and guns being taken, Welch said. Most burglars do not steal guns as consistently as Asian gang members, who often obtain their guns through burglaries, he said.

A gun taken from an Irvine home was used this year in a gang-related shooting in Fullerton and another gun was recovered from four Asian gang members arrested in San Diego, Welch said. During that arrest, the gang members had a telephone book and street map they were using to locate Asian homes, he said.

Westminster Detective Marcus Frank, who follows Asian gang activity, confirmed that young gang members have been moving away from committing home-invasion robberies and more often favoring burglary. During home invasions, armed intruders enter a home, tie up family members and terrorize them into giving up valuables.

Police can’t link every burglary of an Asian home to Asian gangs, Frank said. But arrested gang members have told police that the crime definitely is becoming more popular, he said.

The move away from home robberies to burglaries became noticeable about a year ago in Orange County, Frank said.

“What you’re seeing happening here today, you’ll see in the rest of the state in the next six months and in the rest of the country over the next couple of years,” Frank said. The progression will repeat that of home-invasion robberies, he said, which began here and have only recently shown up in East Coast cities.

Burglary is not only safer for the gang members but the penalty--especially for juvenile gang members--is less severe, Welch said. “If you’re caught and convicted, you’re probably not going to do a lot of time,” he said.

The Asian-gang burglars seem to travel along the “I-5 corridor” using telephone books to locate Asian names and addresses, Welch said. They telephone likely candidates and target that home if no one answers, he said.

“They know what they’re doing when they go into these houses,” he said. “They know who they’re targeting.”

The gangs generally operate on a sophisticated level, employing lookouts and using a getaway car separate from the vehicle filled with stolen goods, Frank said. If police stop the carload of gang members, the stolen items are not recovered or linked to the gang members, he said.

Welch said Asian families can reduce their risk of being targeted by gang members by not listing themselves in the telephone book or related directories. Asian families should also try to avoid leaving shoes outside the home visible to passersby, another technique Asian gangs members use to locate Asian families, he said.