Several people in the Beverly Crest and Beverly Hills areas say they are fed up after a multimillion-dollar home in their neighborhood was taken over by squatters.
While the Los Angeles Police Department says its officers have been to the property five times this month alone, residents in the area says authorities are not doing enough to help resolve the issue.
Fran Solomon owns the place next door, which she is renting out. She is one of several people frustrated by the many problems.
“They started doing these raging parties through crazy hours of the night,” Solomon said. “There have been trucks unloading things that we can’t quite identify in the middle of the night.”
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“There have been narcotics seen in cars that are at the house,” she added. “These party goers are ringing neighbors' doorbells at two and four o'clock in the morning.”
At one point, a hired private investigator discovered a party at the home, said to be a fundraiser for the victims of the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel.
Solomon said it is unclear who owns the home right now.
It was previously owned by Dr. Munir Uwaydah, who reportedly fled the U.S. after he was tied to his ex-girlfriend’s murder in her Santa Monica Apartment in 2008.
Most recently, records indicate it was owned by MDRCA Properties LLC, which filed for bankruptcy last year.
Another neighbor, Rick, is ready for the neighborhood to return to normal.
“We’re very concerned as neighbors for our own safety, for the safety of our kids and for our homes,” he said.
Rick said that not only have they called police to report problems, they also called the fire department and they’ve worked to get cars towed off their private properties.
“We’ve engaged with the Mayor’s Office to try to get a public safety officer, building and safety for trash, and we’re just not getting a lot of proactive response and coordinated response,” he added.
Rick said that now the City Attorney’s Office is involved and he hopes the squatters are evicted soon, but he worries it may take a few months.
That doesn’t sit well with Solomon.
“This is a very affluent area, paying exorbitant taxes and we can’t seem to get the proper response from the LAPD to close this down,” Solomon said. “The law-abiding citizens aren’t getting protection from criminals that have taken over a home that doesn’t belong to them.”
NBC4 reached out to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ office for comment, but have not heard back.
