Famed Hollywood jeweler to the stars, Martin Katz, was the victim of a home invasion during which some $2.5 million in merchandise was stolen by who police called a South American robbery crew.
The jeweler reportedly found his home broken into after 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday when he returned home and found a window smashed in, according to TMZ.
Katz told police that a large number of high-end bags were missing, some of which retail for several hundred thousand dollars apiece.
Apparently, Katz was alerted to the break-in by his alarm company.
However, officials were able to retrieve some of the expensive bags because Katz had secreted tracker tags inside them. Officials traced the tags to a location in downtown L.A., TMZ added.
Along with recovering the bags, several men were arrested and charged with the theft. Police also identified the suspects as members of a “South American” robbery crew. The robbers reportedly do not live in the U.S., but fly into the states to stage their robberies, then they fence the goods here and fly back home.
The L.A. crime wave continues and it isn’t just affecting regular, everyday citizens. A huge number of celebrities have also been caught up in the massive crime wave sweeping over the region.
Just last week, actress Sophia Bush was shocked when a man broke into her garage and stole something from her before fleeing.
In October, actress Sydney Sweeney found herself calling the police when she saw a man breaking into her neighbor’s L.A. home.
In August, Victoria’s Secret Model Daniela Braga’s L.A. home was invaded, ransacked, and robbed, and thieves walked off with more than $1 million in loot.
Also in August, two masked men were seen trying to break into Modern Family star Sarah Hyland’s home.
In Jan., actor Lee Byung-hun, the star of the hit Netflix series Squid Games, suffered a home invasion off his L.A. home and lost some belongings in the attack. Fortunately, he was not home at the time.
The trashing of Byung-Hun’s home came on the heels of a burglary at comedian and producer Lena Waithe’s home in which she lost more than $200,000 in jewelry.
On Christmas Eve, Entourage star Kevin Connolly’s L.A. home was broken into just before midnight. Thieves gained access through the home’s back door, and a gun and other items were stolen.
John Wick star Keanu Reeves also suffered a break-in of his Hollywood Hills home in December, where crooks stole another gun.
Instagram model Abigail Ratchford was terrified Dec. 30 when she heard home invaders smash a window in her home and gain access to the place while she was on the top floor.
Motley Crue rocker Tommy Lee’s L.A. home was broken into and reportedly “trashed” when he was not home.
Rapper Megan Thee Stallion’s L.A home was broken into and hundreds of thousands of dollar’s worth of her belongings were stolen.
Actor and comedian Arsenio Hall was hit with a pair of break-ins and was almost robbed twice while he was at his home in Democrat-controlled L.A.
The home of fashion mogul, model, and tattoo icon Kat Von D was burglarized. And an armed man was arrested after targeting White Lotus and Baywatch star Alexandra Daddario’s house.
Actor Casey Affleck’s terrified girlfriend actress Caylee Cowan was home alone in L.A. at around 3:00 a.m. in June of 2022, when she awoke in her bedroom to find a home invader standing over her.
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