Four people have been arrested in connection to burglaries at Rihanna and Christina Milian’s homes.
A number of celebrities living in and around the Los Angeles area have been targeted by thieves in the past two years, including Rihanna, whose Hollywood Hills property was broken into in September (18), and Milian, who had her San Fernando Valley home broken into twice in the space of four days in August.
Authorities at the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) have now arrested four people in connection to their investigation. Police officers arrested Jshawne Lamon Daniels, 19, Tyress Lavon Williams, 19, and Damaji Corey Hall, 18, after they were pulled over on 28 September, a day after they allegedly robbed American footballer Robert Woods’ home in Woodland Hills. Hall’s mother, 34-year-old Ashle Hall, was arrested two days later.
Lillian L. Carranza, Commanding Officer of Commercial Crimes Division for the LAPD, said at a press conference on Tuesday (02Oct18): “The burglars believed no one would be home, and the homes would contain sought-after valuables that they might be interested in.”
They dubbed the process “flocking”, where the group would allegedly all drive around the area in luxury cars and clothing.
“Once a potential target home was selected, a larger vehicle would be utilised to give the suspects the opportunity to change into more comfortable clothing and hoodies to avoid being recognised and cart away the stolen goods,” Carranza explained, adding that the suspects would grab valuables within minutes and make a run for it before alarm companies could respond.
She alleged the suspects were responsible for properties belonging to Rihanna, Milian and her boyfriend, French singer Matthieu ‘M. Pokora’ Tota, and baseball star Yasiel Puig.
Authorities allegedly recovered more than $50,000 (£38,500) in cash as well as designer handbags, watches and jewellery, as well as a stolen vehicle at one of the suspects’ homes. During their search, officers also found a list of future celebrity targets which included Viola Davis, LeBron James and Matt Damon.
At the press conference, the seized stolen items were put on display in the hopes the alleged victims would identify them.
The three teenagers were all charged with burglary, while Hall’s mother was charged with grand theft, according to People.com.
City News Service reported that Williams pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to four felony counts of first-degree burglary.
The suspects are thought to be part of a larger burglary ring and may have been involved in other burglaries. The investigation is still ongoing and more arrests are expected to follow.
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