Police: 'Roving Street Gang' Burglary Rumors are False

A rumor spreading among residents suggesting that an "organized band of roving street gang members" is systematically burglarizing homes in north Monrovia neighborhoods is false, police said in a statement Thursday.

Residents have complained to police and Patch about an alleged recent rash of burglaries in foothill neighborhoods commited by gangs, but such a trend does not exist, according to Capt. Alan Sanvictores.

“Burglaries that have occurred in Monrovia, unfortunate though they are, show no signs or patterns of a specific area in Monrovia being targeted by a specific group of people,” Sanvictores said in a statement.

Burglaries are actually down at this point in the year compared with the same period last year, according to Sanvictores.

"Though burglaries and crimes of opportunity may never be fully stamped out in a metropolitan community, residential burglaries that have occurred do not appear to be gang related or focused upon a specific area or neighborhood," a city news release reads.

A review by Patch of the neighborhood watch reports put out by the department shows that three residential burglaries occurred in different neighborhoods over the last four weeks. None of them involved allegations of street gang involvement.

The last recorded residential burglary occurred on Sept. 26 at a church in the 100 block of Foothill Boulevard, according to police records. Windows were pried open at the church, but nothing appeared to be missing, police said.

The second burglary over the last month occurred at a home in the 200 block of East Olive. A man arrived home on Sept. 20 and discovered his television, DVD's, and CD's were stolen. The suspect appeared to use a ladder to gain access to an unlocked upstairs window, according to police records.

Finally, on Sept. 17, a home in the 300 block of N. Mountain Avenue was presumably burglarized while a person living at the residence was home. A starter pistol was stolen and the home was ransacked. Police determined that the suspect entered through a upstairs window that he or she pried open.

Furthermore, none of the people suspected of burglaries who were arrested over the last year were determined to have gang affiliations, according to police.