Burglar

If events really occurred just as they were reported in " 'I Was Trying to Save My Baby' " (June 26), I'm surprised that the 911 operator did not know enough to tell Gail Shirley to get out of the house immediately if she had any doubts at all as to whether or not a burglar might still be in her house. Do not go in your house if you have any reason to suspect that a burglar might still be inside. Searching the house for a cornered burglar is extremely dangerous and is a job best left for the police.

A crew of burglars allegedly walked away with at least $6 million by cutting through the rooftops of San Gabriel Valley banks under the cover of darkness, according to law enforcement authorities. On Wednesday, authorities announced five Inland Empire men had been arrested on suspicion of carrying out the unusual bank heists. The arrests came after investigators searched for clues for more than a year and gathered DNA evidence from crime scenes. "It is one of the most elaborate crimes we have seen," Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said at a news conference.

When prolific Israeli burglar Na'aman Diller discovered he was dying of cancer in 2003, he decided to leave his widow a collection of some 100 artifacts of decidedly questionable origin. They included rare clocks, manuscripts, paintings and an item billed as "the world's most expensive watch": a gold and rock crystal pocket watch made for Marie Antoinette in the 18th century. All the items had allegedly been stolen during a storied heist at Jerusalem's L.A. Mayer Museum for Islamic Art in 1983.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- South African Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega moved swiftly Thursday to replace the lead detective in the Oscar Pistorius murder case after embarrassing revelations that the officer is facing attempted murder charges. Pistorius is accused of premeditated murder in the death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day. The Olympic athlete claims he shot her by mistake, believing she was a burglar. Investigator Hilton Botha is being replaced by the man Phiyega described as “the most senior detective" in the South African police force, Vinesh Moonoo.

A Kansas burglar apparently likes to be clean -- but isn't very adept at clean getaways. Police in Wichita said a man apparently broke into a house Friday night to wash his clothes but fled in boxers, with his jeans still in the washing machine. Here's what happened: A woman reported that she returned home, found her basement laundry room in disarray and went upstairs to call her husband. That's when a man wearing only blue boxer shorts came upstairs, grabbed her purse and ran out the door.

A burglar has been serving himself at a restaurant, repeatedly making off with 14-ounce steaks from the freezer. "That's all they take is steak. I just don't know what to think any more, because they've gotten away with a lot of it lots of times," said Tommy C. Hamby, owner of the Hofbrau. The steakhouse was burglarized last week for the ninth time this year, police said. Hamby said the haul has totaled hundreds of steaks. Police are interviewing witnesses, Sgt. Jerold Seidl said.

A 50-year-old Sepulveda woman was found stabbed to death in her house, which had apparently been ransacked by her assailant, Los Angeles police said Friday. Nancy Gail Bronston was found dead about 5:30 p.m. Thursday when police investigated a call from a neighbor that something was wrong at her house in the 8500 block of Decelis Place, police said. The victim apparently had been stabbed a few hours earlier when she returned to the house, possibly surprising a burglar, police said.

The last time she was in court, Doris Thompson - then 80 years old - was pleading guilty to burglarizing a medical office in Torrance. Old age infirmities appeared to be catching up with her. When the judge asked her if Doris Thompson was her name, she answered, "I can't hear you. " The prosecutor moved closer, and Thompson moved closer. "Can you hear well now?" Judge Thomas Sokolov asked. "Yes, I can," Thompson answered, although the judge asked her four more times whether she could hear.

An off-duty Los Angeles sheriff's deputy shot and injured a man who allegedly was trying to burglarize the lawman's home Tuesday morning, police said. Anaheim resident Brooks Johnson Beck, 22, was arrested on suspicion of residential burglary and treated at UCI Medical Center in Orange, said Buena Park Police Sgt. Ken Coovert. The burglar climbed through the back window of the officer's one-story home on San Francisco Drive, Coovert said.

A burglar who police said seemed unaware he had broken into the mayor's mansion was caught in the kitchen with some fancy city silverware Thursday while Mayor Edward I. Koch slept upstairs. The suspect, who gave his name as Juan Suarez, 33, set off an alarm at Gracie Mansion and was found by two plainclothes officers at a cabinet filled with formal silverware. He had 12 pieces in his hands, mayoral spokesman Tom Kelly said.

PRETORIA, South Africa - Prosecutors on Wednesday unveiled what seemed damning testimony against Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, who is accused of murdering his girlfriend. But as the day wore on, the defense savaged the state's case, portraying the investigation as bumbling and shoddy. Laying out what is likely to be the basis of their case, prosecutors said at Pistorius' bail hearing that a witness heard what sounded like a quarrel shortly before model Reeva Steenkamp was fatally shot the night of Feb. 13. Another neighbor heard a shot, a woman's scream, then more gunshots, they said.

PRETORIA , South Africa -- As his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp , cowered behind a locked door in a tiny bathroom, Oscar Pistorius strapped on his prosthetic legs, grabbed his pistol, strode seven yards to the door and fired through it four times, killing her, prosecutors alleged Tuesday as they laid out their case against the double-amputee Olympic runner in Pretoria Magistrate's Court. According to prosecutor Gerrie Nel, Pistorius' actions amounted to premeditated murder.

Four men have been arrested on suspicion of burglarizing the homes of Los Angeles Times newspaper subscribers who were on vacation, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The burglars allegedly stole $1 million in property over the last three years. Detectives said one of the suspects obtained lists of subscribers who had submitted "vacation holds" to a vendor that distributes newspapers for The Times. Officials said they have identified 25 victims but believe there are more than 100. Sgt. Michael Maher of the sheriff's Major Crimes Bureau said most of the break-ins occurred along the 210 Freeway in eastern L.A. County and western San Bernardino County.

Where many saw tragedy for New Yorkers still homeless from Superstorm Sandy over the Thanksgiving holiday, others apparently saw opportunity. Adding to the woes of those who live on the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens - where the storm killed eight people and destroyed more than 100 homes - thieves burglarized at least three residences in a Breezy Point neighborhood last week, police confirmed Saturday. Many of those who survived Sandy have been staying with friends, family or at relief shelters during the week and returning to the Rockaways on weekends to pick up what remains of their lives.

Hollywood continues to go crazy for toys and games. Hasbro, the company behind the hits "Transformers" and "G.I. Joe" and the flop "Battleship," has signed a deal with independent production and finance company Emmett/Furla Films to make movies based on the board games Hungry Hungry Hippos and Monopoly and the toy Action Man. Hasbro announced the three-picture deal Thursday and confirmed that the first movie would be "Monopoly," on which the...

Star bond fund manager Jeffrey Gundlach is used to winning, but he just suffered a $10-million hit in the most unexpected way. Returning to his posh Santa Monica home after a business trip to New York this week, he found a blank space on the wall where a cherished landscape by William Wendt once hung. He then noticed more blank spaces where he had part of his multimillion-dollar art collection. The crooks even drove away in his red Porsche Carrera - and shut the garage door on the way out. Gundlach, heralded on Wall Street for his bond investing prowess, is the founder of DoubleLine Capital in Los Angeles.

A three-time convicted burglar was executed by injection for gunning down a sheriff's deputy. Johnny Pyles had said he shot deputy Ray Edward Kovar in self-defense. Pyles, 40, was on parole following a second prison term for burglary and was casing a closed grocery store in the early morning hours of June 20, 1982, when Kovar confronted him. Pyles, armed with a pistol stolen earlier in the evening, said he was surprised by the deputy and began shooting.

The Monterey Park Police Department is looking for a man who sexually assaulted three women while burglarizing their homes in June and July. Police spokesman Jim Smith said that in all three cases, the possibly armed suspect entered the San Gabriel Valley houses between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m., either going through unlocked doors or prying open locked windows. Smith described the burglar as an Asian male, 20 to 30 years old, 5 feet 6 to 5 feet 8, medium to stocky build, with short hair, possibly a crew cut.

The last time she was in court, Doris Thompson - then 80 years old - was pleading guilty to burglarizing a medical office in Torrance. Old age infirmities appeared to be catching up with her. When the judge asked her if Doris Thompson was her name, she answered, "I can't hear you. " The prosecutor moved closer, and Thompson moved closer. "Can you hear well now?" Judge Thomas Sokolov asked. "Yes, I can," Thompson answered, although the judge asked her four more times whether she could hear.

Steve Jobs' Palo Alto home that was burglarized last month for more than $60,000 worth of items has served as a mecca for Apple fans since his passing last year. But it was also an easy target. The Apple co-founder's home, which is located on a quiet street, was used by Apple fans immediately after his death as a gathering ground for vigils and memorials, but months after his passing, Apple users still kept visiting the home. The Los Angeles Times reported earlier this year that people have taken trips from as far away as Hong Kong and Italy to stop by the home, which is easily accessible.