The most recent incident occurred early Monday morning when suspects burrowed through six walls and three businesses in a strip mall to reach Denny Lesser Jewelers in Chatsworth, as reported by the Los Angeles police and Denny Lesser himself.
"I heard a loud noise in the back," Lesser, who has owned his store for 42 years, told Fox News Digital. He had gone into his store around 1:30 a.m. to carry out some repair work when he encountered the intruder. The suspect, clad in a dark hoodie, mask, and gloves, was attempting to sledgehammer his way through a wall into Lesser's store.
In a surprising display of courage, Lesser confronted the intruder. "It wasn't frightening for me. I don't know why," he said. "I looked at him and yelled [an expletive]. I said, ‘Get the hell out of here,' and I think that scared him."
The suspect, upon making eye contact with Lesser, retreated through the wall and began conversing with another individual in a foreign language. Lesser then activated an emergency button, alerting the police, who arrived promptly at the scene. He described the suspect he saw as "slight," standing only between 5 feet, 5 inches and 5 feet, 7 inches tall.
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The damage inflicted on the three businesses that the suspects tunneled through to reach Lesser's store was considerable. However, Lesser expressed relief that no one was injured and nothing of significant value was stolen from any of the affected stores.
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"Police said it must have taken them a lot of work," Lesser commented on the burglars' efforts to reach his store. They left behind a sledgehammer and what seemed to be a crowbar. He noted that this burglary attempt was eerily similar to an incident that occurred at his store eight or ten years ago, where suspects also tunneled through walls to gain access.
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A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) confirmed the incident to Fox News Digital and mentioned a similar burglary that took place days earlier at Gilded Jewelry, a store in Fashion Alley in Downtown Los Angeles.
"Unfortunately one of our [s]tores got broke into this morning [at 3 a.m.]. If anyone recognizes any of these individuals please contact us," the store posted on Instagram, along with pictures and videos of police responding to the break-in. "If you have any pending orders they will be shipped tomorrow."
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On March 20, burglars also used sledgehammers to force their way into Gilded Jewelry. Security cameras captured images of the suspects, but investigators have not confirmed whether the two incidents are related.
Other stores in the area reported similar attempts by thieves to break into their premises. Rebecca Rotter of Cosmetic Creations Salon told FOX 11, "I feel violated, but I also feel blessed that nobody got hurt. And that's the way I feel. And I'm wishing that some of these people would get prosecuted because the crime is out of control, and I'm not comfortable with that at all."
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In a similar incident in March of last year, burglars stole up to $5 million in merchandise from a Beverly Hills jewelry store after forcing entry into the store with sledgehammers during daylight hours. At least five suspects used sledgehammers to shatter the store's windows on a Tuesday afternoon.
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