Surveillance video shows one man jumping into a silver sedan, after police say a homeowner caught him burglarizing a home. Police also looking for a maroon sedan seen in another surveillance video. In that clip, a man can be seen walking up to the home's door. Police believe he was scoping out the house while the driver waited. "At that house there was a resident home, so it's a possibility he knew that, got in the car, and then went and found another house to burglarize," said Visalia Police Sgt. Steve Phillips.
Police say the thieves are after electronics and jewelry and they knock on doors to determine who is and isn't home. "What they may be doing as a ploy, they'll knock on a door, if someone answers they'll invent some kind of reason why they're there," said Phillips.
In all, more than 30 homes have been hit since March. Action News first reported on burglaries in east Visalia, where the majority of homes were hit. Since then, thieves have spread out, most recently targeting homes in northwest Visalia. Police believe at least two people are responsible and all are related. "They're doing the same tactics. They're going up to doors, the residents aren't home, they're forcing doors open by kicking in doors, they're taking the same items, electronics, jewelry," said Phillips.
Visalia resident Darryll Dicks' home was hit earlier this year, when thieves busted a glass door. They ran away after being spooked by his grandson, but then returned just weeks ago, targeting a neighbor's home. Since then, he's seen a suspicious vehicle casing the area and reported a silver car that may be the same one seen in the video.
