Castellammare Neighbors Turn Vigilante, Mistake Woman for Burglar

A group of about eight people in the Castellammare area confronted, held and photographed a woman against her will because they thought she was a burglar, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Police said the victim was a caretaker who was wearing scrubs and was not guilty of any crimes.

West LAPD Senior Lead Officer Michael Moore said a description of a potential burglar that had been released to the public described a black woman wearing scrubs during the commission of suspected break-ins.

The group, however, mistakenly confronted an innocent woman who was there to work as a caretaker, Moore said.

The incident occurred in the 17700 block of Tramanto last month, according to the LAPD.

The eight people surrounded the victim and began interrogating her about why she was there, Moore said, adding that one of them held her as others took her photo.

“The only thing they were missing was pitchforks and torches,” Moore said.

She wasn’t doing anything wrong, Moore said. Her shift normally started at 9 a.m. and she had arrived early that day.

Moore said residents should always call police and never take the law into their own hands.

Police are now looking for the man who held the woman against her will.

Neighbors in Castellammare have been concerned because of a recent increase in crime, specifically burglaries, in their area.

Just weeks before the confrontation, more than 150 concerned neighbors had gathered to discuss and share ideas about how to deal with the growing problem of property crimes in their neighborhood.

Police have warned the public to be vigilant as the ongoing crimes have raised concerns about safety from neighbors.

A neighborhood once protected by its discrete location has now become a target.

Castellammare residents have grown fearful of increases in property crimes in their neighborhood and are considering a variety of security options, including gating the neighborhood or having manned kiosks.

Residents also created an alert system via email to keep each other abreast of the situation.

“The neighborhood has changed,” Kim Clary, president of Castellammare Homeowners Association, said previously. “People here were never that suspicious.”