LOS ANGELES, CA — Authorities announced criminal charges Wednesday against seven people in connection with a series of home burglaries across the Southland, saying the culprits are allegedly part of sophisticated burglary rings using high-tech tactics to target their victims.
Byron Gonzálo Sáez Sotomayor, also known as Kevin Diaz, is facing the largest number of charges — 15 counts of first-degree residential burglary, three counts of attempted first-degree residential burglary and one count of grand theft of a firearm involving alleged crimes between January 2025 and May 2026, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
The 27-year-old man was arrested May 4 while allegedly fleeing from a burglary in the Beverlywood area, according to the District Attorney's Office.
Charges have also been filed against:
At a Wednesday morning news conference discussing the arrests, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said, "These organizations frequently conduct extensive pre-planning and use sophisticated tactics."
Authorities said residential burglaries are actually down in the Los Angeles area, but a recent rash of such crimes in the San Fernando Valley and other areas have called more attention to the issue.
Speaking at Wednesday's news conference, District Attorney Nathan Hochman, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell and Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff detailed the arrests, highlighting the types of sophisticated tactics the crews often deploy — such as hidden surveillance cameras and WiFi jammers.
Burglary crews are also known to target victims by checking their social media accounts to see if they are traveling out of town, and in some cases placing a DoorDash bag on victims' porch and ringing to the doorbell to see if anyone answers.
The sheriff displayed one of the hidden cameras that was seized during one of the recent arrests, with the equipment concealed in a box wrapped in artificial turf so it could be strategically hidden in front of a home to monitor the residents' activities.
"What's in it is a phone and a camera with extra batteries," Luna said. ``If you see anything that looks like this in your neighbor's home, in your home, report it to us immediately. That is the sophistication that these individuals are using."
Authorities urged residents to protect themselves by notifying neighbors, police or sheriff's deputies when they plan to be out of town. They also reminded people to avoid social media posts that could alert potential thieves that they are vacationing or traveling out of town. The sheriff noted that hard-wired security systems are favorable to wireless ones that can be jammed with high tech methods.
Many recent burglaries and robberies have taken place in posh or simply suburban areas of the San Fernando Valley. Businesses on and around fashionable Melrose Avenue area have also been targeted in overnight burglaries, with multiple targets being hit in a single night.
City News Service
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