KTLA

Police seek man with rifle tied to string of burglaries in San Fernando Valley area

Police are looking for a man suspected in a string of burglaries in the Shadow Hills, Sun Valley and Sunland areas, caught on home surveillance videos holding a weapon.

The suspected burglar is believed to be responsible for eight to 10 burglaries or attempted burglaries, both at commercial and residential sites, according to Sgt. Guillermo Gutierrez of the Los Angeles Police Department.


In most of the cases, he was carrying a rifle of some sort, Gutierrez said. He is believed to have several weapons, one of which is described as looking like an AR-15 and another being a hunting rifle, police said.

The first incident was reported on Oct. 19 and the more recent was reported Nov. 6. There is no set pattern to when he strikes, police said, and the burglaries have occurred at various times during the day.

In one incident, the man pointed a gun at a security guard but did not fire the weapon, Sgt. Gutierrez said.

In home security videos shared to KTLA by residents, the man can be seen in at least two incidents holding a weapon, walking around people’s homes. He is smoking in some of the footage, wearing jeans and a dark-colored zip-up vest, and sometimes has a blue beanie on his head.

He was allegedly spotted Sunday near Sunland Boulevard and Wheatland Avenue but police were unable to locate him.

The man is described as being Hispanic, about 30 to 40 years old, 6 feet tall and weighing about 150 to 170 pounds.

No further details, including a breakdown of the different incidents, were immediately available.