Encino burglary investigation underway at home believed to be owned by Dodgers' Yasiel Puig

ByMarc Cota-Robles and ABC7.com staff KABC logo
Thursday, November 2, 2017
Encino home believed to belong to Yasiel Puig burglarized
An Encino home believed to be that of Dodgers star Yasiel Puig was burglarized Wednesday.

ENCINO, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- An Encino home believed to be that of Dodgers star Yasiel Puig was burglarized Wednesday, the same night his team suffered a devastating World Series loss.

Los Angeles police said officers responded to a burglary alarm in the 5300 block of Louise Avenue, at a home possibly belonging to Puig. Authorities did not immediately confirm the home is owned by the player.

Police said they discovered a smashed window and confirmed items were taken from the home. It was unclear how much the property was worth.

The LAPD confirmed nobody was home at the time of the burglary. It was not immediately known whether any surveillance video captured the suspect or suspects.

Neighbors of the Encino home said it appeared the burglary happened at about 7 p.m., which was in the middle of the Dodgers' World Series game.

Neighbor Harry Thomason said he feels bad for Puig, who purchased the home just over a month ago.

"It's tragic to have somebody come in and invade your private space and take things away that were important to you," he said.

Neighbor Zach Eliass said Puig's two dogs got loose through an open gate when police responded. He and his family took in the dogs and gave them back to an appreciative Puig when he returned home after the game.

"He just said thank you. He said that it was kind of hard because he was in the game and it shouldn't have happened that the gate was open. He was just very calm, and he was just...thanking us," Eliass said.

Thomason thinks the burglary was a crime of opportunity.

"I think they watched the World Series, got to the last inning and said, 'I know where there's an empty house, let's go get it,'" he added.

It is not the first time Puig has been burglarized. His Sherman Oaks home was also targeted in March of this year. The suspect or suspects took approximately $170,000 in jewelry and other property.

The incident happened while Puig was in Arizona for spring training.

The "Boys in Blue" lost to the Houston Astros 5-1 in Game 7.