LOS ANGELES – Police are investigating a series of tire thefts in Los Angeles that appear to be connected due to similar methods and the use of a white van.
The wave of wheel thefts is leaving car owners frustrated with the police response, and is even pushing some victims to band together to track the culprits themselves.
What we know:
Multiple Los Angeles residents have become victims of brazen wheel thefts, with vehicles left resting on concrete blocks.
Jason, a resident of the Beverly Grove neighborhood, discovered his truck stripped of its wheels early Sunday morning.
Security cameras captured two men in a white van scoping out the area around 4 a.m., parking parallel to Jason’s truck on Edinburgh Avenue near First Street.
A little over a mile away in Hollywood, Jonathan Gonzalez’s car was also targeted on Sunday morning, similarly left without its wheels and with bolts left behind.
Another vehicle on the 6300 block of Waring Avenue in Hollywood was also hit.
Victims are using the Nextdoor app to warn neighbors and share their experiences, noting that the suspects are using the same exact cinder blocks, suggesting the same individuals are involved in these thefts.
What they’re saying:
Victims are expressing significant frustration with the situation and the perceived lack of police response.
“As soon as I approached it, I saw lug nuts on the ground and I quickly found out that both my wheels were missing, so I immediately contacted the LAPD and filed a police report,” Jason said.
He noted a pattern among the victims.
“I found that there were other victims that surfaced on the app stating that they were victims in the last two weeks. The suspects have been using the same exact cinder blocks, which tells me it was the same individuals that were involved,” he said.
Jonathan Gonzalez, another victim, stated, “I woke up and my wheels were gone… the same as they have it right here… they left the bolts everything…” He conveyed his disappointment with law enforcement’s guidance: “We go to the cops and… they just say do it online… it feels like they don’t care.”
Jason highlighted the proactive steps victims are taking in hopes of preventing future incidents.
“The neighbors, we do our part and do our own detective work and so far we’ve come together and found the same van was found on multiple cameras. I mean without our own police work, we wouldn’t know that so here we are today.”
Gonzalez expressed the collective anger and resolve, saying of the thieves, “They’re lowlifes… they need to be stopped… if the cops are not going to do it… we might do it ourselves.”
Local perspective:
These recent thefts have created a wave of concern across Los Angeles, particularly in the Beverly Grove and Hollywood neighborhoods.
The repeated use of the same methods and materials, like specific cinder blocks, has led victims to believe the same group of individuals is responsible for multiple incidents.
The incidents have prompted residents to organize and share information online to track the suspects.
This has led to a shared sense of frustration with the official response from law enforcement, pushing communities to consider taking matters into their own hands.
What’s next:
Residents like Jason and Jonathan are continuing to gather and share information about the thefts, hoping their collective efforts will lead to the apprehension of the suspects.
While victims are voicing dissatisfaction with the current police response, their continued vigilance and community organizing suggest that they will remain active in trying to stop these crimes and recover their stolen property.
The Source: This report is based on direct interviews with affected Los Angeles residents, including Jason and Jonathan Gonzalez, and incorporates details from their personal experiences and observations from security camera footage. Further information regarding the pattern of thefts is drawn from discussions among victims sharing their experiences on the Nextdoor app.
Crime and Public SafetyLos AngelesHollywoodBeverly Grove