Bandits Preying on Shoppers, Police Say : Crime: Warning issued about armed robbers in Valley who follow victims, attack them outside homes.

Police issued a warning Wednesday about a ring of bandits preying on Christmas shoppers after residents of four homes in Chatsworth and Northridge were followed home and robbed at gunpoint within a span of two hours.

“It’s happening all over,” said Detective Mike Brandt of the LAPD’s Devonshire Division, covering the northwest San Fernando Valley, where one victim was shot in the chest as he struggled with his assailants.

“It’s females, it’s males. We have no distinctive pattern of victims,” Brandt said.

Police said eight to 10 cases appear to be the work of the same group. All four victims Tuesday night were attacked by two assailants whose faces were covered, and the incidents occurred within a radius of several miles, authorities said.

Police said they could find no pattern in the sort of vehicles the robbers preyed upon, noting that one victim was driving a 10-year-old van and another a brand-new Lexus.

“I think they’re just . . . hoping to get something,” Brandt said.

Victims turned into their driveways to be confronted by three to five armed men, wearing either ski masks or hoods, barking orders to hand over wallets, jewelry, purses and presents. Sometimes flashlights were shone in the victims’ faces. At least one victim was assaulted in a parking lot near a shopping district.

On Friday, a 52-year-old man was shot in the chest as he tried to take back some of the goods thieves lifted from his family as they exited their Mercedes Benz on the 17100 block of Prairie Avenue. Another shot was fired Tuesday night at a victim on the 9300 block of Valjean Avenue as he fled, Police Lt. Bob Normandy said. The victim escaped injury.

Hal Minsky, a neighbor and friend of the gunshot victim, said the violent incident occurred after his neighbor returned home from a Ventura Boulevard restaurant.

The man, who has remained unidentified, is in critical condition. He dropped off his wife and another couple in front of his house before pulling his car into the garage, Minsky said. When the man emerged from the garage, two gunmen wearing dark ski masks stood waiting.

“At that point, (the robbers) didn’t ask for jewelry, they just asked for purses,” Minsky said. “He confronted them. I know he struggled with them to some extent, and then he got shot.”

The robbers have taken a man’s wallet containing 12 wrinkled dollar bills, and they have made off with thousands of dollars in jewelry from a West Hills family, stolen as their two young children slept in the rear seat of their car, police say.

“This is because of the Christmas season, because people are carrying a lot more cash on them,” Brandt said. He warned people “not to be totally preoccupied with numerous things on their mind while they’re driving home. They need to be aware of their total . . . environment.”

Police suggested that residents should:

* Leave exterior lights on at home.

* Watch for strangers lurking near the home.

And, if a stranger is seen, or if residents notice a car following them, head for an area with many people and call police, authorities advise.

Detective Ken Debie of the West Valley robbery squad said homeowners by nature are more vulnerable to this style of robbery.

“Homes are more accessible, because at a lot of (apartment or condominium) complexes, you have security gates. . . . A private residence is a lot more accessible.”

Robbery detectives throughout the Valley say their workload routinely picks up during the holiday season, with more money changing hands.

“People tend not to be as attentive as they could be,” said Detective Rudy Quintilla of the LAPD’s Foothill Division in the East Valley, “because they’re shopping for presents, they’re taking care of kids, they’re running to the bank.”

Even as police issued the general warning, they also noted that in the northwest Valley, Korean American business owners have become victims of similar crimes.

The robbers, who tote handguns but are not masked, are believed to be Korean American gang members, said Detective Sam Masuda of the LAPD’s Asian Crimes Task Force.

“It seems these Korean gang members are moving up to the Valley” from other parts of the city, Masuda said. “Maybe they think the take is more lucrative for them.”

One Granada Hills man was shot in the shoulder when he fled from robbers.

Detectives say such crimes at homes and businesses can take a considerable psychological toll on victims.

“It’s traumatic, because it’s similar to robbing someone in their house,” Brandt said. “It’s not like this is some parking lot or outside of a mall. . . . They’re being violated in front of their homes.”

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9:23 p.m.: 20400 block on Marilla St. 9:35 p.m.: 19000 of Celtic St. 10 p.m.: 1700 block on Gledhill St. 11 p.m.: 9300 block of Valjean Ave.