Thieves target Hollywood Hills home in multi-million dollar heist
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (KTLA) - A homeowner remains shaken after burglars smashed their way into a Hollywood Hills home in a brazen multi-million dollar heist.
The break-in, which targeted a home in Doheny Estates, happened on Tuesday at around 12:30 p.m.
The homeowner, identified only as Luis, believes he was singled out and targeted.
“My neighbor called me and said, ‘Are you at your house?’” Luis recalled. “I said no. He said, ‘I’m sorry, but I think you have been hit.’”
The thieves shattered a large floor-to-ceiling glass window and went inside. They quickly disabled the home’s alarm system and disconnected all security cameras.
“Whoever broke into this house understood the security system,” Luis said. “They went straight to the media room and disabled the internet. That allowed them to have a free pass because all of the cameras completely go offline and automatically, the gate opens.”
The homeowner’s neighbors saw three men wearing ski masks running out of the home and driving away in a white Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV.
“There were three of them,” Luis said. “One went downstairs. One went to disable the security system while the other went to the closet to get what they came here for.”
The thieves ransacked Luis’ closet and escaped with his entire collection of expensive wristwatches. Nearly 50 watches were stolen, including pieces from Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Patek Phillippe and more, priced anywhere from five to six figures each.
“My entire collection of Patek Phillippe is gone,” Luis said. “All of them, every single one of them. I had some very special pieces.”
Luis believes the thieves knew exactly which watches he had and where they were located.
“They knew what was here, and that’s the thing I don’t understand,” Luis said. “Because I’m very private, so how would they know what was here?”
He said he would be investing in major security upgrades following the brazen theft.
Neighbors in the area remain concerned and said several homes in the community have been ransacked by burglars in the past few months.
Luis is frustrated and remains on edge after the theft but believes the suspects responsible will be caught soon enough.
“To dispose of stolen watches, you’ve got to find buyers,” Luis said. “The watch community is a very, very tight-knit community, and if they can just watch out for a flood of watches, we’re talking almost 50 watches, very high-end watches, that are going to hit the market, and you will know that some of those watches are mine.”
Luis said every watch he owns has specific serial numbers and official paperwork to verify their authenticity.
He said he hopes the suspects are caught before they target another home or family.