A Tarzana man said he and his family were inside the home when a group of would-be thieves tried to break into his home. Macy Jenkins reports for the NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, July 31, 2024.
A Tarzana man, whose home was prevented from being burglarized thanks to a quick-thinking neighbor with a paintball gun, spoke out Wednesday after his home was targeted by a group of would-be thieves.
Bret Cohen said he was watching TV with his family Tuesday night in his recreation room when he got a call from a panicked neighbor at around 10:30 p.m.
“He said, ‘Three guys just hopped over your fence!’” Cohen said, adding he and his family had not heard anything. “They could have ran into my house. Thank goodness for Julian for coming out and saving the day.”
Julian, the helpful neighbor who flashed his paintball gun toward the group, said he thought the group of suspected criminals were targeting their neighborhood.
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“I grabbed my paintball gun like a pepperball gun, and one of my brighter flashlights, hoping that would just scare them off,” Julian said.
Security camera footage captured the group from running away in their getaway car.
Cohen, while he’s thankful to his brave neighbor, cannot help but to wonder what could have happened.
“Crazy. First of all, what was he thinking? These guys could have had guns. Second of all, what would happen if he wasn’t there?” Cohen said.
The neighbors both said even before the incident happened in their own backyard, they were concerned about a string of burglaries in the San Fernando Valley.
Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman said it is her priority to “prevent this string of crimes from continuing.”
“The LAPD has been providing additional patrols in the area, which will be supplemented with support from volunteer reserves,” Raman’s office said in a statement.
Cohen, who also said he had multiple guns inside the home, said he’s beefing up security around his home.
“I just ordered some more security cameras. And my brother's been a cop for 30 years. He gave me some advice on things to do,” the Tarzana neighbor said. “But the reality is that if someone wants to break in, they're going to break in.”
