Amid a rash of home break-ins and burglaries across Los Angeles, an elderly Korean-American couple living north of Koreatown was among the victims.
The couple, both in their 70s, returned to their home at Commonwealth Avenue and Clinton Street around an hour after leaving at 1 p.m. on August 5. Upon arriving, they noticed something was amiss when they found their front door open, and were left speechless upon entering the house.
“When we got home, it was trashed,” said Mr. Kim, adding, “Someone had ransacked the house and stolen valuables.”
According to Mr. Kim, the suspect stole valuable items such as a diamond ring, luxury bags, belts, and accessories from their tenant’s room in the house. The tenant, identified only as Jung, estimated the value of the stolen items to be over $3,000.
“I came home from work around 2 p.m. and found a hole in the top of the door handle. My luggage and belongings were scattered all over the place,” Jung said. Both Jung and the Kims believe there were multiple suspects involved in the burglary.
The couple and their tenant expressed frustration with the police’s delayed response. After hearing about the burglary, the Kims’ son called 911 at 2:20 p.m., shortly after the incident occurred. However, they waited two hours for the case to be filed, and the police did not arrive until 9:30 p.m., seven hours after the initial call.
“Out of frustration, I went to the Hollywood Station the day after the incident, but was told to wait until the officer in charge contacted me,” Jung said. “It’s been two days since the burglary, and the police still haven’t contacted me.”
“Our family has always tried to fulfill our duties as citizens, including serving in the military,” Mr. Kim said. “I hope the police actively protect residents, regardless of whether they live in a poor or rich neighborhood.”
A representative from the Hollywood Station, which received the burglary call, told the Korea Daily, “We have taken a report and are investigating.” The LAPD Public Information Office also commented, “We are currently understaffed, and officers are responding to incidents in the order they are reported.”
BY JOONHO CHOI, HOONSIK WOO [choi.joonho1@koreadaily.com]
