An incident occurred where a Korean resident suffered over $1,000 in damages when a thief broke into the parking lot of an apartment complex in LA’s Koreatown.
According to reports received by the Korea Daily, the incident took place around 3 a.m. on June 17 at a four-story apartment building located at Kingsley Drive and San Marino Street.
The suspect gained entry by opening the loosely closed front door of the apartment, took the elevator, and proceeded directly to the parking lot.
Using a flashlight, the suspect looked through the interiors of several cars before selecting one, breaking its window, and stealing items from inside before leaving the scene.
“The suspect broke the window with just two strikes on the metal part with a tool,” the victim, Hwang (71), who requested anonymity, said. “The suspect stole two $150 cutters from inside.”
He added, “It cost $400 just to replace the glass. Repairing the damaged metal part is estimated to cost over $500. The car is only three months old, and experiencing something like this is very upsetting.”
The victim, who has lived in the apartment for five years, said, “This is not the first theft incident in this apartment. Several residents have experienced similar incidents in recent years. I thought the apartment would be safe, but it’s not. The management is lax, and I feel anxious all the time.”
Meanwhile, from last year to April this year, Koreatown, under the jurisdiction of the Olympic Community Police Station, has been recorded as having the highest number of crimes in multi-family housing, such as apartments, in the city of LA. The Olympic Police Station recorded the highest number of crimes with 3,179 cases.
BY SUAH JANG, YOUNGNAM KIM [jang.suah@koreadaily.com]
