Police say Marcelino Perez dressed as a maintenance worker as he hit the apartments and often entered during the daytime, using tools to pry open doors.
They believe he stole items worth over $200,000, mostly money and jewelry.
Because most of his targets were within a half-mile radius, police were able to focus their investigative resources within a small area. They also analyzed his burglaries and discovered that he mostly hit between 2-5 pm on Thursdays and Fridays.
A task force gathered in the area last Thursday and within an hour spotted a man walking in the neighborhood who matched the surveillance photos. They took Perez into custody. They say he was carrying a screwdriver and wearing gloves and other items consistent with surveillance footage.
Police believe Perez acted alone. They have not yet been able to locate a permanent residence for detectives to search and attempt to recover the stolen property, but they don't believe he is homeless.
Perez is being held on $1 million bail.
Anyone who believes they may have been victimized should contact Los Angeles police.