Overview

• On July 26 in Torrance, California, burglars broke into Kiara Ortiz’s apartment and stole jewelry, at least $100 in cash, her locked firearm and her son’s piggy bank.
• Ortiz chased the suspects on foot as they fled in a dark green BMW and used her bare hand to smash its rear passenger window before they escaped.
• The getaway vehicle bore stolen license plates that Ortiz’s son photographed, but investigators say the swapped plates have hindered identification.
• The Torrance Police Department has launched an active investigation and is urging residents to report any suspicious behavior they observe.
• The incident comes against a backdrop of rising residential burglaries in Torrance, with 86 reported by April 2025 compared to 55 in the same period last year.