Pasadena Burglary Ring Busted by LASD

Investigators served search warrants in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties and found numerous items of evidence linking the suspects to different crimes.- Courtesy photo / LASD

By Staff

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) Burglary/Robbery Task Force along with law enforcement partners of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and other local agencies have arrested eight suspects as part of an ongoing investigation into a Pasadena/Los Angeles County based criminal street gang whose members commit residential burglaries in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. Seven suspects have been charged or charges are pending for multiple counts of residential burglary and one suspect has been charged for being a felon in possession of a firearm. This burglary crew is believed to have committed more than 20 burglaries throughout Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Investigators anticipate several more arrests as this investigation continues.

In April of 2018, the Thousand Oaks Police Department (Ventura County Sheriff’s Department) had a series of residential burglaries that were occurring during daytime hours while the residents were not home. The residences were located in various parts of Thousand Oaks and in nearby unincorporated areas. It is believed the suspects conducted surveillance on the residences before committing the burglaries. All of the burglaries involved gaining access to the home via a rear window or glass door. During the investigation, investigators learned similar burglaries were occurring in various cities in Los Angeles County. Based on similarities in the burglaries, it was believed an organized group of suspects were involved in the crimes. Evidence was obtained linking Terrance Hall and Keith Callum to one of the residential burglaries in the unincorporated area of Thousand Oaks. Hall and Callum were determined to be members of a criminal street gang from Pasadena that has a history of committing residential burglaries among other crimes. It was also determined Hall was on parole for burglary.

Believing Hall and Callum were involved with several other unknown suspects, investigators from the Thousand Oaks Police Department, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Special Crimes Unit/Crime Analysis Unit, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Major Crimes Bureau Burglary/Robbery Task Force, Los Angeles Police Department, Pasadena Police Department, and San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department Specialized Enforcement Division joined forces and started investigating Hall, Callum, and their associates.

Seven suspects have been charged or charges are pending for multiple counts of residential burglary and one suspect has been charged for being a felon in possession of a firearm. – Courtesy photo / LASD

As the investigation continued, Charles Smith (wanted for a 2016 burglary in Simi Valley), John Brown (on probation for drug sales), Kaela Travers (on parole for robbery), Preston Lee (on parole for robbery), and Kendall World (on probation for burglary) were all identified as being involved in residential burglaries that occurred in Ventura or Los Angeles counties. An additional seven suspects associated with this burglary crew have been identified and additional arrests are anticipated over the next few weeks as those investigations are completed. It was determined at least one of the suspects was receiving information from a person employed by a residential cable provider about residences, homeowner activities, high value items located inside residences, and where the homeowner’s surveillance systems were located. Based on Charles Smith being wanted for a 2016 burglary in Simi Valley, investigators believe this burglary crew and the known and unknown associates have been committing residential burglaries in Ventura and Los Angeles Counties for quite some time.

On Aug. 16 investigators served search warrants in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. Numerous items of evidence linking the suspects to different crimes were located including six rifles, three handguns, a large quantity of ammunition, stolen property, approximately one pound of marijuana, several hundred Xanax pills, and a large quantity of U.S. currency. In addition to the five burglaries that occurred in Ventura County, investigators have identified an additional eight burglaries that occurred in Los Angeles County that the suspects are linked to.

Investigators from Ventura and Los Angeles counties are still combing through all of the evidence obtained from the search warrants and anticipate identifying more burglaries and arresting more suspects. In addition to the seven burglary suspects, Leslie Hall was arrested for being a felon in possession of firearm after investigators found two firearms and ammunition in a vehicle he owned. Leslie Hall is a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.

The following suspects were booked into the Ventura County Jail: Keith Callum ($1 million bail), John Brown ($1 million bail), Kaela Travers ($1 million bail), Charles Smith ($1 million bail), and Terrance Hall ($3 million bail).  The following suspects were booked into the Los Angeles County Jail: Preston Lee (no bail) and Kendall World ($50,000). Leslie Hall ($20,000 bail) was booked in Los Angeles County Jail for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

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