You know I love Los Angeles, California and the United States but things really have taken a turn the last few years and crime is getting out of control. One of my tips for traveling internationally – especially to places like Rio – has always been to leave expensive clothes, watches, rings, earrings at home. Well, sadly, you really now have to leave those things in the house, no matter where you are but especially in Southern California.
These days, I see story after story on the news or on the community-based app NextDoor about locals and tourists being robbed at gunpoint because they’re wearing expensive watches or carrying designer handbags. I can’t stress this warning enough. Don’t go out with anything of value as criminals seem to have their ways of finding you, be it following you out of a store or a casino, like I wrote about a couple months ago in New Jersey.
RELATED: Warning: This Type of Crime is on the Rise and Travelers Need to Take Note
According to CBS Los Angeles, “A tourist from out of state was shot in the leg during a robbery in Venice on Wednesday afternoon. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, at around 1:45 p.m.the male victim and a woman were walking down the sidewalk near Dell Avenue and Washington Boulevard when they were approached by three to four male suspects ranging from 20-30 years old. One of the suspects demanded the victim hand over his “high-end jewelry” before shooting him in the leg.
Fortunately, the guy survived. Then yesterday, on NextDoor, a user commented: “My daughter and son-in-law were held up at 3:30 pm right in front of Saks at SouthCoast Plaza [it’s in Orange County] last month. 6 men from inner LA pointed guns (4) at their heads while sitting in their car. Top was down on their car which the robbers had pinned their car in so they couldn’t move. They wanted his Richard Mille watch and took her Gucci purse. The police told them this has become a big problem at the mall and the culprits were driving in from LA.”
Bottom line: Save your expensive stuff for a night out at a secure event and always be aware of your surroundings.
“[B]ut things really have taken a turn the last few years and crime is getting out of control.”
Great use of the passive voice, Johnny. The state government and the City of L.A. have basically de-criminalized crime, and the Los Angeles D.A. won’t prosecute crime. The result, not surprisingly, is much higher crime. Go figure.
Folks – Don’t vacation in California. Your safety cannot be remotely guaranteed.
Did the men from “inner LA” have on tshirts exclaiming where they were from??? How do you know where they came from??? So all the perpetrators are from LA???♀️??♀️?
While the blame remains with these criminals I do believe that the Progressive policies regarding crime has emboldened them. They feel they have nothing to lose. Our criminal justice system in many cases has turned into a revolving door with many of these criminals being arrested for the whatever time not long after being released without bail. My only hope is that the next time a crime is committed it’s not against an innocent person but rather a politician or DA who allows this. Violent criminals need to be locked up and taken off the streets!
Don’t live in CA with passive view of crime. Not a problem in the Midwest (except Chicago, which is self explanatory).
13%
Rich people get robbed by,poor people. The rich are getting richer around the world with billionaires in command. This does not excuse crime. The US is by far the biggest jailer in the world with too many non-violent criminals serving long sentences.Lock up arm robbers. And the banksters who destroyed the global economy. That’s what Reagan did after the savings and loan debacle.Tax the billionaires and fund life long education and job training.My dad was a very tough Fed law man. He taught me about social justice and fairness. That’s lacking in too many places today.
Wouldn’t it be funny if the thieves had succeeded in stealing counterfeit items instead of genuine?