Hollywood recording studio burglarized in broad daylight

HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A Hollywood recording studio was targeted in broad daylight by a thief who made off with equipment worth thousands of dollars.

The thief struck at Cascade Studio in the 6600 block of Santa Monica Boulevard at about 2 p.m. on Saturday.

"This is 2 o'clock in the afternoon. I mean this is right in broad daylight, he just walked out with my gear," Cascade Studio owner Joe Laterza said.

The thief, who Laterza said stole $10,000 worth of gear, was caught on surveillance cameras.

"Walked out the door with two of my guitar heads and put them in his car and then he came back and he pulled out, it was about 50 wires hooked up to that main board over there, pulled all the wires out and then he lifted it up and carried it out the back door," Laterza said.

When an employee confronted the man, Laterza said the thief claimed he was a repairman.

In just the last month, three different movie rental companies lost $1 million worth of gear after a thief pretended to be a client.

"I want to put a warning out there to other rehearsal studios that these guys, you have to watch out," Laterza said.

In April, Hollywood residents voiced their frustration to police over what they said was a spike in crime.

MORE: Hollywood is being overrun by criminals and prostitutes, residents say

But the Los Angeles Police Department told residents that crime was actually down in the area.

ABC7 reached out to the LAPD about the recent spike in entertainment gear theft and have not yet heard back.

In the meantime, Laterza said he would take extra precautions to protect his studio.