17 Gangs Behind L.A.’s String of 200-Plus ‘Follow-Home’ Robberies
LAPD Police Captain: “In my 34 years in the LAPD, I have never seen this type of criminal behavior in such large groups coordinating to conduct attacks on unsuspecting citizens to take their property and/or vehicles.”
I have been reporting on dramatic “smash and grab” robberies throughout California these past several months. The criminals targeted high-end boutiques, including a jewelry store where they stole$5 million worth of items.
I have also noted that “crime tourism” has become a hot trend in California, as South American gangs come north.
You can now add another fun, new description to the ever-expanding list of criminal activities in the Golden State: Follow home robberies.
A group of at least 17 gangs targeting Los Angeles’ wealthiest are responsible for the city’s recent string of robberies in which a wolf-pack of gang members tracks a prospective target to their home.
‘In my 34 years in the LAPD, I have never seen this type of criminal behavior in such large groups coordinating to conduct attacks on unsuspecting citizens to take their property and/or vehicles,’ said Capt. Jonathan Tippet of the attacks, which started in September.
In November, Tippet was tabbed to head a division designed to combat the robberies – Follow Home Robbery Task Force – which has seen armed suspects stalk victims leaving ritzy boutiques, hotels, and restaurants before striking.
The force – which includes 18 detectives – was created on November 23.
Since then, a total of 221 follow-home robberies have been reported – with a further 45 coming before the task force’s creation.
A group of men has been arrested in connection with a string of violent follow-home robberies throughout Southern California, including one that targeted two tourists in West Hollywood.
According to an update issued Tuesday by the Los Angeles Police Department, Matthew Adams, Eric Wilson and Jayon Sparks are facing several robbery and gun charges.
All three are accused of pulling off multiple robberies dating back to January, including an attack on two tourists who were heading back to their hotel from a nightclub in West Hollywood, according to police.
Police say Adams, who police say has been charged with seven different robberies that occurred between January and March, and an unidentified suspect robbed the victims of their high-end watches along with other items.
Three suspects arrested for Robbery and/or Possession of Firearm. One suspect (Matthew Adams) was charged with 7 robberies that took place between January & March. During his crime spree, Adams had been arrested & released from jail three times.
Read more:https://t.co/5PwGPDgZBm pic.twitter.com/SxFiEi4zyk
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) April 6, 2022
In many instances, the attacks can be brutal.
In one case, a man was arrested this month on suspicion of robbing a victim of two watches worth an estimated $600,000.
“We have seen countless individuals traumatized by having a gun pointed at them,” Tippet said. “Many others are dealing with the trauma and injuries from being tackled, kicked, beaten, punched and are pistol-whipped to the head.”
A woman is run down and robbed of her watch by gunmen Downtown. It’s one of more than 200 “follow-home” robberies carried out by 17 South L.A. street gangs, the LAPD says. Eyewitness News with the troubling trend frustrating police. Tonight at 11 from ABC7 https://t.co/7mApPOpStw pic.twitter.com/WSxK6wBJNk
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) April 13, 2022
The attacks are highly organized, and targets have been killed in two instances.
Through surveillance video and other evidence, police have identified crews rolling three to five cars deep in some of the attacks, Tippet said, with gang members jumping out and blindsiding victims.
“There’s no chance or opportunity for these victims even to comply. They’re just running up to people and attacking them, whether that’s putting a gun in their face or punching them and beating on them,” Tippet said. “Pistol whipping them as well.”
In some cases, police determined that gang members inside high-end venues served as “spotters” for those outside, Tippet said, alerting them when wealthy targets were heading out.
Shots have been fired in 23 cases, and two victims have been killed, said Tippet, who also heads the LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division, which investigates high-profile crimes.
I assert that the BLM riots in June 2020 created an environment in which criminals can morally justify their thefts and brutality, excusing their behavior as “reparations” or a response to the covid pandemic.
Bidenflation is likely to contribute to this disturbing trend.
Sadly, like covid, it appears that this new form of criminal activity is here to stay.
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Gangs? You misspelled Democrat constituents.
“A group of men has been arrested in connection with a string of violent follow-home robberies”
If you take notice of the race of this “group of men,” then you are racist. Stop whatever you’re now doing, and turn yourself in the nearest BLM affiliate.
I would bet you couldn’t find even six white gangs in LA.
I doubt you could find six white criminals in LA, let alone six white gangs.
Couldn’t happen to a more deserving electorate.
This is more of a philosophical observation than a religious belief:
I used to call the troublemakers including the homeless, drug addicted, lawless anarchists terrorizing blue cities “Satan’s little army,” but have been troubled with that theme of late. Since they are terrorizing a populace that has condoned and protected the wicked at so many levels while willfully turning away from God and even the laws of man in favor of tyranny, this army is really just acting on God’s design. I don’t think they are agents of God, rather they are the result of a populace shutting themselves off from God’s love. By His own design, this is the result, as is the righteous fleeing.
Go check the youtube comments on any video of East TN posted in the last year… there’s a hundred “we’re moving there” or “we just moved here a year ago” all from Ca, NY, and Wa.
ALL of them?
If you’re going to follow somebody home to rob them, are you going to follow a fry cook, a Tok-Tok influencer, a Facebook fact checker, or a Kardashian-adjacent?
I should have added — these gangs have spotters placed in pretentious establishments to finger the ostentatiously wealthy. If you wear Vuitton, Cartier, Rolex, and Ferragamo, welcome to hell. My entire town pretty much wears Wrangler, Carhartt, Justin, and Lost Creek. Unless these guys have a jones for a work trailer or a sturdy roping horse, they’re not even on the radar.
I concur. All residents of the hell holes absolutely and unequivocally deserve the assaults, robberies, mayhem, and murder.
Especially those who voted for the Soros supported prosecutors, Democrat representation, unrestricted illegal immigration, and who turned a blind eye to criminal intent.
I also am happy that tourists are being assaulted. They should have simply stayed home or gone to another city. If you are dumb enough to pay for this nonsense, you deserve to be robbed by criminals of an unmentioned race.
More deserving are the voters who failed to get up off their fat lazy asses to get out and vote because they believed their vote didn’t account for much.
I hope they enjoy the world they created.
Oh good, some have been arrested. The hyper-aggressive DA will now take care of things. As in hyper-aggressively tossing them back to the wild.
Where there is no law was a law really broken?
Only if you try to defend yourself.
You can’t defend yourself if you allowed your gun rights to be taken away, except for the unmentioned race of the criminals who are allowed to carry weapons.
To think otherwise is racist.
Not much longer (3-5 years) before they will be a unified army taking control of Southern Ca
Maybe after a small war with the cartels.
White supremacy is the real problem and we should not be concerned about a few trivial gangs doing what gangs do.
According to the “experts”, it’s a gun problem, not a gang problem.
This is why there are gun safes. So your gun won’t go about making mischief at all hours. Even domestic guns can be lured into joining a troop of feral guns and luring malleable youth into a life of crime.
Correct. But those of us who aren’t “social scientists,” we know it’s a black gang problem.
Since I am not a biologist, I know a woman when I see one.
Since I am not a social scientist I know a criminal class, especially when the journaliars won’t mention the race.
These gangs are doing what our government would like to do in violation of the Constitution: effecting a wealth transfer from the wealthy few to the impoverished many. The difference is that the government will do it under the color an unconstitutional law.
Coming to a Democrat run city near you
Oops – Sorry for the down vote. 🤐 Fat fingers this morning. Will up-vote myself here but regard it as yours. 👍
Dreamers all, here for a better life…
Invasion, occupation, hijacking, infiltration, robbery, a knock-out game, once. Here’s to progress: one step forward, two steps backward.
Travon Martin, the poster child of feral criminals.
A well-placed lead infusion into these thugs by a few victims would see the thugs swiftly re-appraise their career choice. Sadly, this is California that we’re talking about, where Dumb-o-crats predictably exhibit more concern, empathy and deference towards criminal sociopaths, than they do towards law-abiding citizens. Meaning that obtaining firearms for lawful self-defense is onerous, expensive and time-consuming.
These gangs are just the street soldiers of the swamp.
A guy named Adolph had those, too.
Sick…and Dems will soft line it and talk about social and behavioral therapies to combat it.
They feel entitled to your stuff, cuz…. racism. And the state agrees. You should feel good about giving your possessions to these most virtuous among us.
How many have been arrested AND HELD? How many have been charged? How many have had anything but PR bond? How many will be prosecuted, if the evidence warrants found guilty, and will be incarcerated in that case?
I am expecting a very low number in answer to all those questions, and an increasing number of such crimes.
Which is not a problem because 100 miles inland of the coast really is not part of our country.
Subotai Bahadur
Time for some people to start playing the lead role in “Death Wish.”
True. But those people will be the ones prosecuted.