December 14th: In the early morning hours on Monday, December 14th, a series of burglaries occurred in the Point Dume Neighborhood of Malibu. After communication amongst
neighbors in the area, it appears that the main targets of these burglaries were unlocked cars parked in driveways.
Amongst the streets that were hit on early Monday morning were Dume Drive, Grayfox, Ferhill, Selfride, and Wildlife. There are possibly more streets that have not yet come to the attention of the community.
Amongst those who were victimized included long time Malibu resident, Ryan Sarmiento. Sarmiento had this to say about about the burglary.
“They definitely came sometime in the early morning on Monday because I was up and in my car to go down to the beach at around 6 to 6:30am. They went into my car, my sisters car, and one other car in our driveway. All of our cars were unlocked, like they usually are. This is the first time I have had to start thinking twice about whether to keep my car locked in my driveway. They got my new computer, headphones, backpack, watch, wallet amongst other items from the other cars. Luckily they did not enter the house and everyone is okay. From now on we are definitely keeping our doors locked whenever they are unattended.”
Throughout the day Monday, neighbors shared their information and concerns on the social platform “NextDoor: Point Dume,” a message board specifically used for neighborhood communication. One neighbor reported that “On Grayfox, tools of two contractors were taken out of vans and out of my garage. In addition, there were two neighbors on Grayfox who had their cars rummaged through. Lost a computer, iPad, paychecks, cash in the van and painting equipment and a saw.” Neighbors also added that items were taken that would have required hopping over fences and gates and one neighbor even reported that a bike was taken out of his garage.
Similar stories and safety advice followed on the neighborhood feed throughout the day. One neighbor mention she is in the process of implementing a neighborhood watch. She is currently in communication with the Sheriff’s Department regarding the program.
Residents were instructed by the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Department to take their cars down to the station to be fingerprinted in hope to catch the culprits via fingerprint identification. The burglar(s) are still at large and the case in under investigation. If you have any information regarding these burglaries please contact the Lost Hill Sheriff’s Department.
UPDATE 12/17/15 @ 2:50PM:
9 people have been arrested for car burglary in Malibu after a tip from an off duty Fire Chief reported a suspicious vehicle with no headlights in the early AM hours of Wednesday morning. The Fire Chief said that he heard noise outside of his house and saw a light on in his car. He identified the vehicle and reported it to the police which led to the arrests. It is unclear at the moment if these are the same burglars from the Point Dume burglaries. More updates to come.
UPDATE 12/22/15 @ 3:20 PM:
At least 10 more car burglaries occurred in the early morning hours of Tuesday, December 22 in the Point Dume area.
The 9 people arrested last week were residents of Oxnard and described to a local resident by police as young people, all in one car.
There still are people out there targeting Malibu communities so make sure you keep your car doors locked!
