Burglars Impersonating Gardener, Worker Sought

Police appealed to the public Tuesday to assist them in catching thieves known as “trash-can burglars” and another criminal called the “tool-belt bandit.”

Det. David Straky of the Los Angeles Police Department said thieves masquerading as gardeners are believed responsible for about 30 daytime burglaries across the Westside since February.

Their method is to pry or smash their way into a vacant home, load a trash can with valuables and place an uprooted houseplant on top of the pile to fool any onlookers into thinking they are gardeners, Straky said.

The suspected “trash-can burglars” also cut phone lines to hamper residents in calling police, he said.

Straky said there have been no eyewitnesses to these burglaries, but the pattern of ransacked homes, missing plants and neighbors’ reports prompted police to ask residents to report any unusual activity by unfamiliar gardeners.

The tool-belt bandit, who impersonates a hired workman, also severs phone lines and is believed responsible for 30 daytime burglaries. Straky said the suspect is a Latino man in his 20s who wears jeans, a T-shirt and a tool belt.

The burglaries have occurred in parts of Westchester, Culver City, Mar Vista and Santa Monica.

“We need the help of people who are home during the daytime, to be more cognizant of traffic on their street,” Straky said.

Straky urged anyone with information to call detectives at (310) 202-4506 or call 911 if they suspect a burglary is in progress.