Viola Davis is the face of the Shonda Rhimes’ blockbuster TV show “How to Get Away With Murder.” Unfortunately, the Oscar-winning actress nearly found out in real life that the people breaking into her mansion were trying to do just that.
A group of organized thieves preying on the luxurious section of San Fernando Valley in metro Los Angeles tried to burglarize her home late at night — while she was there — the media has learned.
The Fences star was asleep in her home with her husband, Julius Tennon, when the two were reportedly startled awake by the sound of glass being broken. The problem was magnified exponentially because the broken window was in the very bedroom where they were sleeping.
TMZ was the first to report that the would-be burglars used a ladder to climb to Davis’ second-floor balcony leading to their master bedroom and then used an unknown instrument to smash the glass to try to gain access.
It appears the thieves did not know that the Davis and her husband were home. That’s because, according to the entertainment publication, the criminals scattered like roaches when the husband flipped on the lights to investigate the noise.
Unfortunately for Davis, the burglars were long gone when deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department appeared. Officers hope surveillance footage captured of the criminals will lead to arrests. But the report added the men were camouflaged heavily to conceal their identities.
Law enforcement officials deny that celebrities are being specifically targeted, despite the recent rash of burglaries of celebrities’ homes — and when they are not at home.
In 2018, the likes of actor Kyle Richards, baseball star Yasiel Puig, singer Mariah Carey, singer Jason Derulo and reality star Scott Disick of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” fame have all been hit by burglars.
Law enforcement tells the publication that there are several outfits of highly organized, highly-skilled burglars working the San Fernando Valley area. In fact, burglars have traded in the Hollywood-Beverly Hills region as 19 of the 23 reported celebrity break-ins have reportedly occurred in the Valley.
Cops tell TMZ that the burglars know the “weak points” of these palatial estates owned by aristocrats and entertainers. For example, the band of thieves usually try to gain access into these pricey palaces through the second-floor balcony windows because the owners don’t usually have alarms on those doors and windows like they do on the first floor.
The San Fernando Valley contains five incorporated cities — Glendale, Burbank, San Fernando, Hidden Hills, and Calabasas — and a portion of a sixth city, L.A. The area of San Fernando Valley where the very wealthy live is often very secluded. This makes it much easier for burglars to “do a job” on a home, flee to the nearby freeway and then get lost among the legion of cars flooding the highway.
Police tell the media burglar teams are hitting upscale areas all over the City of Angels — and that this includes many non-celebrity homes. They say burglars are simply looking for any beautiful home with expensive contents that is easily accessible — not necessarily homes of celebrities.
Another problem is the presence of social media. Burglars have Instagram and Facebook accounts, too, and they are aware when celebrities post photos of themselves at far-off, luxurious locations, letting the prospective burglars know that their homes may be wide open and ripe for the picking.
