Burglars tunneled through a concrete wall to gain access to a Los Angeles jewelry store, making off with at least US$10 million of watches, pendants, gold chains and other merchandise, police said on Tuesday.
The heist happened at about 9:30pm on Sunday at Love Jewels on Broadway, Los Angeles Police Department Officer David Cuellar said.
Investigators were reviewing security camera footage that showed the suspects entering the store from a large hole they drilled from the property next door, he said.
Photo: AP
“They tunneled through multiple levels of concrete into the target location,” Cuellar said.
An unknown number of suspects fled through the same hole and drove off in a late-model Chevrolet truck, he said.
The heist was not discovered until store employees arrived for work on Monday morning.
Photo: AP
Initial estimates were that US$10 million of merchandise was stolen, Cuellar said, adding that the number could change.
The owner said the loss was about US$20 million and that they did not have insurance.
No alarms went off and the feed to the in-store security cameras was cut.
At the store on Tuesday, workers covered up the hole in the wall with a metal plate, repaired other damage, and cleaned up overturned display cases and discarded boxes.
Two large safes were broken into, containing all the merchandise they had in the store.
Customers and friends stopped by to offer sympathy, with some even asking to purchase items.
Love Jewels’ Web site advertises items such as a 14 karat yellow gold rope chain for US$1,200, heart-shaped gold earrings for US$200 and a gold cross pendant for US$550.
Videos on social media accounts for the store showed glass cases filled with rings, watches and necklaces.
Detectives had examined the scene for fingerprints and DNA, police said.
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