Nanny Is Victim of Armed Robbery at Van Nuys-Sherman Oaks Park, Police Say

A local nanny was the victim of an armed robbery on Aug. 1 in the parking lot on the corner of Van Nuys Boulevard and Hartsook Street, according to Det. Chun of the Los Angeles Police Department's Van Nuys Division.

The crime occurred as the nanny was sitting in a parked car waiting to pick up her employer’s children when the window of the passenger door was suddenly smashed, according to Chun.

“As soon as she parked and turned off the engine, she was fumbling with some items on the passenger side floorboard when she heard glass shatter and felt it land on her arm,” Chun said. “When she looked towards her right, she observed a suspect reach in and grab her purse from the front passenger seat. The woman yelled out a large sigh, when she observed the suspect reach behind his back and when she saw his extended arm, she observed what appeared to be the barrel of a black handgun, not pointing at her, but pointing towards the front of the vehicle.”

The reported robbery occurred around the same time that a string of car burglaries took place at the Van Nuys-Sherman Oaks Park parking lot, according to Chun. During the first week of August, according to Chun, three car break-ins took place at the same parking lot but only once was someone in the vehicle when it was robbed.

“It’s a possibility that since it was an SUV with tinted windows in the back and she’s a small-statured woman and she was leaning forward, that the suspect thought there was no one in the vehicle,” Chun said. “It’s pretty rare for stuff like that to happen when a person is in the vehicle.”

Chun said the nanny told police that she did not get a clear view of the suspect because he was camouflaged towards the right rear seat, only extending his arm into the broken window. 

Chun wants to remind residents to be cautious about what items they leave visible in their vehicle.

“Three car break-ins is not an unusual number,” Chun said. “These break-ins happen to parked cars that are already locked and secured, but are just unattended. Just don’t leave your personal belongings in the vehicle and have them visible. There is not much you can do, but just don’t leave items out that will draw attention.”

The armed robbery at the park took place about a half block from where an , and it is unknown if the robberies are related.