Four held over LA celebrity home burglaries

LOS ANGELES: Four people have been arrested for allegedly burglarising the homes of celebrities including singer Rihanna and baseball star Yasiel Puig, Los Angeles police announced.

Authorities said they believe the suspects are part of a larger ring that specialises in breaking into the homes of athletes, actors and Hollywood film producers for theft.

The home of basketball star LeBron James appeared on a list of dwellings seized by police and appeared to name future targets for robbery. The homes of actors Viola Davis and Matt Damon were also on the list.

The suspects are three teens, two aged 19 and one 18, and the 34-yearold mother of one of them.

“During recent months, the Los Angeles Police Department has become aware of a series of residential burglaries targeting actors, producers, musicians and professional athletes living in the Los Angeles area,” Lillian Carranza, head of the LAPD commercial crimes division, told reporters.

“The victims’ homes had been selected based on social media posts and touring or travel schedules of the owners. The burglars believed no one would be home and that the homes would contain sought-after valuables,” she added.

Police who made the arrests seized purses and wallets, watches, jewellery and a gun.

Over the past two years the homes of celebrities such as Alanis Morissette, Nicki Minaj and Emmy Rossum have also been burglarised.