3 in Custody for Home Invasion on Sherman Oaks Street

The Sherman Oaks community in Los Angeles has been gripped by a wave of home invasions, leaving residents shaken and on edge. The recent spate of burglaries has targeted the Greenleaf Street neighborhood, where at least four or five incidents have occurred within the past two weeks. The most recent event took place on Monday night, leaving a deep sense of insecurity among the locals.

In a particularly harrowing incident, several masked and armed suspects broke into a home while the only person inside was the nanny, who was in the shower at the time. Thankfully, law enforcement was already patrolling the area, having been alerted to the series of break-ins that had plagued the community. Officers quickly responded to the scene, following the suspects as they fled in a vehicle that led them to Compton.

In a dramatic chase, the suspects abandoned the car, scattering on foot through neighborhoods and even a school property. One suspect narrowly escaped an armed plainclothes officer, who attempted to detain him on the other side of a chain-link fence. Eventually, three suspects—Isaiah Rankins, 22; Juan Carlos Gonzalez, 21; and Dion Hill, 24—were apprehended. All three, who were already on supervised release for prior offenses, were booked for home invasion robbery with their bail set at $175,000 each.

The following day, surveillance footage captured another group of intruders targeting a different home just a block away from the previous night’s invasion. For the Makhtesyan family, this marked the second time in three months that their home had been burglarized. In broad daylight, the suspects were seen scaling the fence and stealing what little was left after the first break-in. The incident has left the family, and many others in the neighborhood, deeply rattled.

"This is the highest level of brazen crime I've ever seen in my entire life," said Saurabh Jain, a Greenleaf Street resident. Jain, whose home was burglarized just last month, described the profound impact these crimes have had on his family. "My wife is definitely scared. Her sense of safety and being violated in this way has changed her thought process on a daily basis."

As the community grapples with the fear and uncertainty brought on by these events, residents are left wondering how to restore the sense of security that once defined their neighborhood. The repeated targeting of their homes has shaken their confidence in safety measures, making it clear that this community will take time to heal from the trauma of these invasions.

Source: ABC 7