About 100 Carlsbad homeowners heard tips on how to protect their homes at a Wednesday night safety town hall hosted by the Carlsbad Police Department.
The town hall was organized in response to a string of recent home burglaries. One of the victims, who helped organize the gathering, said he was robbed while he was away at a charity event.
"They trashed the whole house. It was a really nice mess. They went upstairs to the master bedroom and totally messed that up," the homeowner said.
Fearing retribution, the woman asked that we not reveal her name. But the crimes against her and others brought some 100 neighbors to Wednesday's town hall.
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“That’s the whole reason. We don’t want others to go through what I had to go through," she said.
In front of an audience, the woman shared how three burglars came from the hill behind her house and broke in through the slider in the back. She said they opened every drawer in just about every piece of furniture, and that they knew where to look and what to look for.
"They took some money, some gold coins and some high-end purses," she said.
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One week later, the house next door was burglarized.
“Anybody that is that bold to come to two houses in the same week, these people are crazy," neighbor to the burglary, Greg Montoya, said.
Montoya, a firearms instructor, got a call from that homeowner as it was happening. He managed to scare away the bandits with just a flashlight and a call to 911.
"When it's right across the street from you, have no choice but to get involved," Montoya said.
Carlsbad PD detectives say they are investigating five very similar break-ins in the area in the last two weeks. According to crime map statistics, there have been 15 residential break-ins in Carlsbad since just before Thanksgiving.
- 2600 Marmol Ct – 11/30/23 @ 2:00pm
- 2600 Acuna Ct. – 12/1/23 @ 2:00pm
- 3500 Lake Blvd – 12/4/23 @ 11:56pm
- 3500 Garfield St – 12/5/2023 @ 12pm
- 2900 Candil Pl – 12/6/23 @ 4:30pm
- 3400 Garfield St – 12/7/23 @ 5:20am
- 300 Pine Ave – 12/7/23 @ 6:00am
- 3000 Lincoln St – 12/7/23 @ 8:00am
- 300 Pine Ave – 12/7/23 @ 12:00pm
- 300 Pine Ave – 12/7/23 @ 12:10pm
- 2800 Highland Ave – 12/8/23 @ 12:01am
- 3200 Marisol Pl – 12/9/23 @ 3:00am
- 2500 La Costa Ave – 12/13/23 @ 6:54pm
- 4600 Park Drive – 12/15/2023 @ 10pm
- 2600 Acuna Ct. – 12/16/23 @ 6:34pm
At Wednesday's meeting, detectives said they don’t believe it is the same crew responsible for each incident. At least one of them was a garage robbery.
Police recommended homeowners get prepared and offered some best practices:
- Install multiple surveillance cameras
- Use lighting with automatic timers
- Neighbors can check on neighbors
- Secure safes
- Photograph jewelry and other valuables
Carlsbad PD said so many people RSVP'd for the meeting that they had to hold it at the police training center where there were enough seats. Carlsbad’s mayor was also there.
