Couple staying at Airbnb in Palm Springs burglarized
A Los Angeles couple in town for Coachella Fest were burglarized at their Airbnb in Palm Springs. According to police, they are not the only people renting out a place to say that were ripped off.
The couple told KESQ & CBS Local 2’s Lauren Coronado that when they arrived back Sunday, all their personal belongings were gone.
“It happened and I’m still waking up at night thinking, oh my gosh are they going to show up at our home because they have our addresses,” said Autumn Adele.
Adele said the thieves stole $25,000 worth of their personal belongings. She also said she believes she was a target.
“We spent the later half of the day at the festival and according to the motion detectors at 11:01 PM, the intruders entered the home which is when the main stage was going on and Eminem was performing, so I guess they assumed that was a good time to enter a home and gather our belongings,” Adele said.
Adele believes the suspect got in through an unlocked back door in a bedroom she was not using. Its access, Sergeant William Hutchinson with the Palm Springs Police Department says burglars are looking for.
“A large number of our residential burglaries can be prevented. Most of them, a large number of them, are from people leaving doors and windows unlocked,” Hutchinson said.
23-year-old Keyshawn Manning, of Desert Hot Springs, was arrested Monday for burglarizing a Palm Springs home. Hutchinson says there have been several other burglaries in the area, including Adele’s case that Manning may be connected to.
“There’s a lot of similarities in all the cases that started within the last week, roughly starting the 14th of the month. There’s some other evidence we cant go into that potentially ties this suspect to other burglaries as well,” Hutchinson said.
Read: Two men arrested for burglaries in Palm Springs
Hutchinson reminds the public to be vigilant.
“People that come here on vacation have to realize that while they are in a resort town, they still have to be aware that there are people out there who will take advantage of them. We look at the cleaning staff, the maintenance staff, we look at all of these people who have access to the residence,” Hutchinson said. “But all too often we find that it’s just a crime of opportunity.”
Hutchinson said Air BnBs are not the common similarity in these burglaries and warns others to lock doors and keep homes well lit. He also advises people use alarm systems and cameras if possible.
The homeowner reached out to KESQ & CBS Local 2 via Facebook. They said, “The couple that rented our home did not lock the patio door and they did not arm the home. They were robbed because the thieves literally were able to come into the home with no resistance.”
A representative of Airbnb also reached out to KESQ & CBS Local 2 regarding the burglary. The sent the following statement:
“There have been over 300 million guest arrivals in Airbnb listings to date and negative incidents are extremely rare. We are supporting our guest and will be reaching out to local law enforcement to offer our assistance. The safety of our community is our priority.”
You can also check out guest safety tips at https://www.airbnb.com/trust/traveling
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