The arrests were announced at a morning news conference attended by L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, Sheriff Robert Luna, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell and Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff.
"If you want to come here and steal from us, if you want to come here and break into our houses, if you want to come in here and scare and traumatize our families, let me assure you, where you will spend some time: in our jails, in our prisons, because you will get arrested, prosecuted and punished," Hochman said.
The suspects were allegedly involved in three separate home burglaries, at least one of which occurred in the Santa Clarita area.
The burglary crew and others have been targeting affluent residents near golf courses, parks and hiking trails and other open spaces that offer easy getaways, Luna said. The sheriff noted that crime is down 30% in L.A. County since 2022.
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.
Luna described the type of technology used by such thieves, including Wi-Fi jammers and hidden cameras. At the news conference, he displayed a wooden box wrapped in artificial turf.
"What's in it is a phone and a camera with extra batteries," Luna explained. "If you see anything that looks like this in your neighbors home, in your home, report it to us immediately."
With gangs behind many SoCal break-ins, experts explain how to protect your home
With gangs behind many SoCal break-ins, experts explain how to protect your home
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. Luna noted that hard-wired security systems are preferable over wireless systems that can be jammed with high-tech methods.
City News Service contributed to this report.