What's With All The Valley Crime This Month?

It's not even the 10th and this is what we have:

• Wednesday, August 2, 9:20 p.m.: The Valley Inn Restaurant gets robbed (Sherman Oaks)
• Thursday, August 3, time unknown : Father, Mother and Sister become victim to son/brother - Brandon Menard. (Northridge)
  
• Friday, August 4, 8:00 p.m.: A man abducts his three children and gets caught in Utah. (Panorama City)
  
• Saturday, August 5, 10:30 a.m.: 4 teenage friends go to a store, get in a verbal argument with the suspect and walk away into the store. Upon coming out, the argument continues and one of the four gets shot. (North Hollywood)
  
• Sunday, August 6, 2:15 a.m.: Boyfriend and Girlfriend fight. Boyfriend shoots Girlfriend. (Sherman Oaks)
  
• Monday, August 7, 10:00 p.m.: Two men are in an alley and two others walk up to them, ask them, "Where you from?" and shoot them both. One Died. (Winnetka)
  
• Monday, August 7, 10:15 p.m.: A 20-year old is shot and killed while parked in his car, listening to music. (Van Nuys)
  

It's hard to do anything to prevent the Sherman Oaks murder when it is a crime of passion. However, he did have a violent history. The Winnetka and Van Nuys shootings seem to be more gang related while the NoHo one's motive is unknown. The Menard Family incident is just plain troubling (and why is there nothing on the LAPD blog?)

The child abductions seem to be common and unfortunate, especially since it ends up being one of the parents.

And the restaurant robberies will be continue until they are caught. The good thing is, they have not been violent (except one at a Thai restaurant a year or so ago). I would hate to be a customer at one of the restaurant robberies when police arrive and there is a shoot out. There will be nothing pretty about that one. (Once again, why nothing on the LAPD blog?)

Photo: Anastasia Povolotska