Southern California

Burglar Strikes Twice in Quiet Socal Neighborhood on Same Night

Fred Shum said a normal evening for his family turned frightening when his wife discovered a man wearing a ski mask standing inside their master bedroom.

Residents were on high alert after back-to-back burglaries Tuesday night in their quiet, gated Southern California neighborhood.

Ken Cheng said he was only out of the house for about an hour when someone ransacked the master bedroom of his home at 9 p.m. in the 2800 block of Ashberry Court in Fullerton.

The brazen suspect climbed to the second-story balcony of Cheng’s home and entered through an unlocked bedroom door, a spokeswoman for the Fullerton Police Department said.

"They went through everything," Cheng said.

A neighbor found images on his surveillance camera of a man running through his backyard close to the same time Cheng’s home was burglarized.

Within 15 minutes of the first break-in, police received a report of a burglary in progress at another home on the same block.

Fred Shum said a normal evening for his family turned frightening when his wife discovered a man wearing a ski mask standing inside their master bedroom.

"She started screaming, it’s a scream I never heard before," he said. "So then I come running from my daughter’s room and he starts to head down the stairs."

The burglar ran past the family into the living room, taking Shum’s wife’s purse and cash with him. Shum chased after the masked man before he got away.

Tuesday’s attacks were a surprise to Cheng, who has lived in his home for the past five years without incident.

Shum was also shocked by the burglaries, he said his family moved into the community because they thought it was a safe area.

"In retrospect, we feel incredibly blessed and grateful God took care of us and nobody got injured and hurt," he said.

Officials are asking anyone with information to contact them at 714-738-6821.

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