Residents were in disbelief after thieves burglarized a Santa Monica apartment complex as it was fumigated for pests.
Security camera video from showed two men inside one of the vacated units during the late December fumigation. Residents of several other units also returned home to find their residences ransacked.
Two hooded men can be seen on the video looking around the apartment, taking their time with no one around to look through a closet and place items in bags. Residents were told to leave the complex Dec. 27 for fumigation and return Dec. 30.
On resident was out of the country at the time.
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“They opened everything and took everything out,” said Hai Hoang. “Yeah, so the same thing in the kitchen. They took everything out, they looked into it, if there's a box in there, they would open it. And the same thing in the guest room and my master bedroom.”
Hoang said nothing was stolen. He took many of his valuables with him before leaving the country.
Anyone with information about the burglaries was asked to call the Santa Monica Police Department.
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A similar crime was reported in mid-December at a Playa Del Rey condominium. More than 20 homes were burglarized during fumigation service that lasted four days.
