The Los Angeles Police Department is searching for a group of thieves who burglarized a home in West Hills after planting a hidden camera outside.
A man, speaking to news video service TNLA, said that at about 2 a.m. on Thursday, he saw a white Kia sedan parked in his neighborhood in the 1700 block of Bernadine Avenue and people “messing around in some bushes.”
He thought nothing of it at the time, he said.
“A car pulled up, and two people hopped out and they were going into this bush across from my house and putting something in it,” he said. “I didn’t know if it was the neighbors or not so I didn’t do anything about it.”
At about 11 a.m. Thursday, he saw the same vehicle pull into the neighborhood. This time, at least five people wearing masks break into a neighbor’s home.
Carrying bags full of items, the burglars hopped back into the car, but not before they went back to retrieve a camera that was hidden in the bushes, the man said.
“I wanted to scream, you know, but like at the same time I didn’t know if I should or not,” the man said. “[Wednesday night], if I would have screamed, I could have prevented something.”
No additional details, including any information regarding the suspects, were immediately available.
Law enforcement officials say hidden cameras have become a favorite tool for thieves in Southern California in recent years – often multi-national crime rings. Other recent cases include Chino Hills, Temecula, and Arcadia.