A suspected burglar who was arrested in December after allegedly breaking into a residence in the Melrose District, was arrested again on January 30 after allegedly committing a new burglary on Laurel Avenue.

Dante Hoskins 39, was taken into custody at his residence in south Los Angeles after he was identified by officers who recognized his vehicle parked outside the home that was burglarized in the 800 block of N. Laurel Avenue last Saturday.

“The owner of the home found him in their house and he ran away. The officers knew who he was based on the car he used in the December case,” said Det. Ernie Rodriguez, who heads the burglary unit for the LAPD’s Wilshire Division. “The car is very distinctive. It is a Toyota Four Runner that is purplish in color. It is not a very common color, and it was parked right in front of the location.”

Hoskins was set free in December after the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office declined to file charges in the previous burglary. Rodriguez said charges were not filed because a witness was not able to positively identify Hoskins during the follow-up investigation, and there was no other evidence to hold him. He said Hoskins has been charged with residential burglary for the incident last weekend and investigators are currently building their case against Hoskins in the Laurel Avenue burglary.

Rodriguez described Hoskins as a career criminal who previously served time in prison for burglary charges dating back to 2002. He added that some items were recovered from Hoskins’ residence that police believe may have been stolen, but so far they have not been able to link the items to the owners.

Rodriguez said detectives are working with the Laurel Avenue homeowner as a possible witness. He also said investigators are working with members of the Melrose Avenue Neighborhood Watch to determine if any other people in the area have been victims of recent burglaries.

“We are asking the people who were burglarized to come forward, and are also looking for anyone who could identify things that were taken,” Rodriguez added. He declined to discuss the case but said there is evidence that he thinks will tie Hoskins directly to the burglary.

Peter Nichols, co-founder of the Melrose Action Neighborhood Watch, said he was discouraged to learn that the there was no case filed against Hoskins for the burglary in December, and expressed dismay that he would come back to the Melrose District and commit another crime.

“First of all, I was elated he was caught and they can finally build a case on this guy,” Nichols said. “One of the biggest frustrations in running a neighborhood watch is when no one gets caught and is made to answer for these crimes. That’s something that always sits at the back of my mind, because these things cause fear.”

Nichols said he would be discussing the arrest at a meeting of neighborhood watch block captains to determine if there were any other recent burglaries that could be attributed to Hoskins.

Rodriguez encouraged anyone with any information about the burglaries to call detectives with the LAPD’s Wilshire Division at (323)922-8205.

A suspected burglar who was arrested in December after allegedly breaking into a residence in the Melrose District, was arrested again on January 30 after allegedly committing a new burglary on Laurel Avenue.

Dante Hoskins 39, was taken into custody at his residence in south Los Angeles after he was identified by officers who recognized his vehicle parked outside the home that was burglarized in the 800 block of N. Laurel Avenue last Saturday.

“The owner of the home found him in their house and he ran away. The officers knew who he was based on the car he used in the December case,” said Det. Ernie Rodriguez, who heads the burglary unit for the LAPD’s Wilshire Division. “The car is very distinctive. It is a Toyota Four Runner that is purplish in color. It is not a very common color, and it was parked right in front of the location.”

Hoskins was set free in December after the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office declined to file charges in the previous burglary. Rodriguez said charges were not filed because a witness was not able to positively identify Hoskins during the follow-up investigation, and there was no other evidence to hold him. He said Hoskins has been charged with residential burglary for the incident last weekend and investigators are currently building their case against Hoskins in the Laurel Avenue burglary.

Rodriguez described Hoskins as a career criminal who previously served time in prison for burglary charges dating back to 2002. He added that some items were recovered from Hoskins’ residence that police believe may have been stolen, but so far they have not been able to link the items to the owners.

Rodriguez said detectives are working with the Laurel Avenue homeowner as a possible witness. He also said investigators are working with members of the Melrose Avenue Neighborhood Watch to determine if any other people in the area have been victims of recent burglaries.

“We are asking the people who were burglarized to come forward, and are also looking for anyone who could identify things that were taken,” Rodriguez added. He declined to discuss the case but said there is evidence that he thinks will tie Hoskins directly to the burglary.

Peter Nichols, co-founder of the Melrose Action Neighborhood Watch, said he was discouraged to learn that the there was no case filed against Hoskins for the burglary in December, and expressed dismay that he would come back to the Melrose District and commit another crime.

“First of all, I was elated he was caught and they can finally build a case on this guy,” Nichols said. “One of the biggest frustrations in running a neighborhood watch is when no one gets caught and is made to answer for these crimes. That’s something that always sits at the back of my mind, because these things cause fear.”

Nichols said he would be discussing the arrest at a meeting of neighborhood watch block captains to determine if there were any other recent burglaries that could be attributed to Hoskins.

Rodriguez encouraged anyone with any information about the burglaries to call detectives with the LAPD’s Wilshire Division at (323)922-8205.