A task force created by the Los Angeles Police Department to address the follow-home robbery crime trend plaguing the region has made 122 arrests, authorities said Thursday.
The LAPD's Follow Home Task Force (FHTF), which consists of 16 detectives, identified 328 of the robberies from November 2021 through Dec. 1. The arrests included five for murder, nine for attempted murder, 88 for robbery, and various other charges.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office added gun enhancements to the violent armed robberies. Within a year, police say they've seen a 77% decrease in follow-home robberies, the LAPD said.
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"Last year in November, prior to the FHTF, there were a total of 39 incidents," authorities said. "In addition, during the last quarter of 2021 there were 91 incidents. This past quarter, there have been 33 incidents, which is a 64% reduction."
Follow-home robberies became a crime trend in 2021. A suspect or group of suspects typically follow a victim home or to a secluded area from somewhere else and rob them of their expensive watches or jewelry.
Most of the robberies occurred within the Hollywood or Wilshire areas of Los Angeles.
One suspect, Matthew Adams, 18, allegedly attacked two University of California, Los Angeles students outside a residence, robbing them of two expensive watches and an iPhone totaling over $145,000, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement.
In another robbery, a pair of armed follow-home robbers were caught on video beating and pistol-whipping a victim outside his downtown Los Angeles home. The victim was driving his Lamborghini home from dinner in Hollywood just before the incident.
In April, the LAPD said it had identified at least 17 gangs that staged robberies using spotters to target victims wearing high-end watches or driving expensive cars.
In December, there has been one reported follow-home robbery in Los Angeles, the LAPD said.
