In the last few days, neighbors in Windsor Square and Koreatown have reported an intruder appearing in their homes after entering through a front door left open or unlocked, while the homeowner is distracted by a worker in the house.
In one report, a very petite African-American woman entered the home. When confronted, the woman said she was meeting a friend nearby, adding something about carpet cleaning. Â Nothing was stolen and the entire encounter took only a few minutes, according to the homeowner, who later heard a similar report from another neighborhood down the block. In this case, the person entered through an open front door while a carpet cleaner was working in the house.
It seems likely, based on other reports on local social network Nextdoor.com, that the woman may have been looking around planning to return for a robbery. Another neighbor reported seeing two men waiting in a car outside.
Senior Lead Officer Joseph Pelayo advises residents to call 911 immediately if you see an intruder on your property.
“This is an emergency,” said Pelayo. “Any intruder or  prowler call on your property or inside your home is an emergency, which means a police unit responding with lights and sirens,” said Pelayo.
He urged neighbors to use the 911 system. Calls to 911 are also the only way of documenting the call history, which is necessary for accurate crime reports and investigating the response time, explained Pelayo. He can also be reached directly at  213 793-0709 or by email at [email protected]
