Another Burglary In Orinda Friday; Police Scare Off Burglars As They Ransack a Second Home

A prolific and brazen crew of burglars appears to be targeting homes in Orinda, residents tell Lamorinda Patch, with two additional break-ins reported Friday and another last Saturday evening.

We brought you the story of a family whose Claremont home was broken into March 10 and published it at about the time police were responding to yet another daylight robbery near the Friday.

Residents said thieves used a shovel to enter a home on Las Vegas Road between 10 a.m. and noon Friday, ransacking the residence and making off with a number of mementoes from the family's world travels.

It appears that the thieves then merely moved across the street, breaking into a home there by breaking the latch on a patio door leading to the master bedroom, according to the homeowner. Numerous electronic items and some jewelry was taken before Orinda police, responding to reports of a possible break-in at the first residence, arrived in the area and scared the burglars away.

Neighbors theorize that the thieves saw police in the neighborhood and were able to escape even as additional officers arrived to establish a perimeter. The second home was ransacked with a number of items taken, according to the owners. Other valuables were left stacked and ready to be loaded, apparently abandoned when police arrived in the neighborhood.

It is not known if the burglars are selecting homes at random or have garnered some inside knowledge of their target and its contents before striking. In at least one case they continued to ransack a home even as the alarm sounded, making off with thousands of dollars worth of electronics and jewelry before the homeowner and police arrived.

Lamorinda Patch will continue to follow this story as it develops.