Beverly Hills police say a prolific burglar suspected of breaking into dozens of Los Angeles-area homes disguised himself in a face mask while committing the crimes.
The arrest: The Beverly Hills Police Department announced on Thursday that Rockim Prowell, 33, has been charged with two counts of burglary, two counts of grand theft and one count of vandalism, CBSLA reported.
- Earlier on Thursday, the Los Angeles Department sent out a since-deleted tweet asking if anyone recognized the man in surveillance footage and included a picture of the suspect wearing a mask, and a photo of the mask itself.
- “It was odd this burglar’s mouth was always open when seen on surveillance video,” the department wrote. “When he was caught breaking into another home we discovered why.”
- Prowell is suspected of committing multiple burglaries in the area, the BHPD said.
The reaction: Conservative investigative journalist Andy Ngo tweeted out the photos shared by the Los Angeles Police Department, along with a link to CBSLA’s story.
- Ngo, a fierce critic of antifa who has at times also criticized racial justice protest groups such as Black Lives Matter, tweeted that Prowell, who is black, “wore a mask & wig to imitate a white man while allegedly committing dozens of burglaries throughout L.A.”
- Ngo has also taken aim at what he views as hate-crime hysteria.
- In Feb. 2019, Ngo, inspired by mounting evidence which suggested actor Jussie Smollett staged a hate crime against himself, compiled a list of 27 apparently similar hoaxes.
