Crime & Safety
Crime Alert: Distraction Burglary
Robber claiming to be a neighbor used ruse to get into house on Sylmar Avenue in Sherman Oaks, police report.
Police in Sherman Oaks say there has been an increase in what they call "distraction burglaries," according to a report filed by Detective Glenn O'Shea of the Los Angeles Police Department's Van Nuys Division. The latest such incident reportedly occurred Tuesday in the 4400 block of Sylmar Avenue.
According to the report, a man claiming to be a neighbor came to the door of the Sylmar Avenue resident and told the woman that his Frisbee went into her backyard. The woman allowed the man to look in her backyard, where, armed with a sharp instrument, he overpowered the woman and forced his way inside the house, the report said.
The woman was tied up, and her home robbed. The man then fled on foot, the report said.
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The robber was described as a white man with brown hair and brown eyes wearing light-colored pants and a brown shirt.
"Please be aware of this ruse, and don't fall for this type of crime," O'Shea said.
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Anyone with information about the crime is asked to contact O'Shea at
818-374-008.
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