Mesa Vista homeowner interrupts 4 intruders trying to enter residence

A homeowner on the 4200 block of La Cañada’s Mesa Vista Drive thwarted a residential burglary Thursday night, after four masked suspects used a glass punch tool to gain access to his home, sheriff’s officials reported.

Det. Rodger Burt of the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station said a man was inside his home at around 8:30 p.m. when he was startled by a loud, strange sound.

“He heard a loud ‘pop’ at the back of his house, so he turned on the light,” Burt said, adding that the light and the homeowner’s presence likely scared off the suspects.

Video surveillance showed four individuals, wearing gloves and hooded sweatshirts to obscure their faces, using a spring-loaded tool on a window at the rear of the house.

“We have some evidence that was left behind by the suspects, and we’re working on that now,” he said.

The detective said such break-ins do seem to be on the rise and not just in La Cañada Flintridge. With 23 residential burglaries on record for July and August alone, the Crescenta Valley Station has been responding with increased patrols in neighborhoods particularly affected.

“There are so many different crews running around,” Burt added. “They’re hitting all the Foothills communities — burglaries are happening everywhere.”

Anyone with information about Thursday’s incident on Mesa Vista Drive is asked to call the CV Station at (818) 248-3464.