Rash of commercial burglaries in Studio City prompts LAPD to ask for help in ID'ing suspects

STUDIO CITY, Calif. (KABC) -- A rash of commercial burglaries along Ventura Boulevard in Studio City have prompted police to ask for the public's help in finding the perpetrators.

According to Los Angeles Police Department detectives, an increase in such crimes has occurred during August and the first two weeks of September. Eight of the burglaries took place last month.

The thieves have smashed storefront windows of businesses and removed cash registers, the LAPD said in a Thursday news release.

In one of the incidents, captured on surveillance video, a man threw a rock through a glass door before entering the business and heading toward a cash register. He absconded with about $800, said store owner Vanessa Oakes.

"It's not that much but it is, because when you're a small business every single dollar counts," Oakes said. "It's shocking because I never imagined that it could happen to me."

The day before that incident, two people broke into an eyewear shop in another robbery recorded by security cameras.

The footage shows the pair of robbers ransacking the business, making off with thousands of dollars worth of merchandise, according to employees. Also in the video, one of the robbers is seen picking up a sledgehammer before fleeing.

According to the police department's statement, the agency recommends "installing audible alarm systems that cover glass breakage, leaving cash registers empty and open, installing a video camera system that covers both the interior and exterior of the business," and illuminating areas inside and outside of the business in the evening.

Anyone with information about the incidents is asked to call burglary investigators with the Los Angeles Police Department's North Hollywood Division at (818) 623-4081.