Thieves make off with more than $20M in goods after tunneling into jewelry store
Criminals behind the sophisticated smash-and-grab robbery at Love Jewels reportedly ‘didn’t leave a dollar’
A manhunt is underway for a group of drunken thieves who tunneled their way into a downtown Los Angeles jewelry store and made off with more than $20 million worth of goods.
The family who runs the store believes that the thieves took weeks to painstakingly bore a hole through the solid brick wall between an abandoned theater next door and Love Jewels in LA’s theater district.
The suspects broke into the store around 10 p.m. on Sunday. The family didn’t realize the robbery had taken place until the following morning when they came to open up.
“They probably went in there every night, slowly dug it until there was enough room for them to get in,” the store owner’s son told NBC Los Angeles.
In a separate interview with KTLA, the son said he believed at least one member of the group was a professional locksmith because they were able to open one of the safes easily.
The family told CBS News that after entering Love Jewels through its back office, the crew managed to disable the video feed of security cameras and bypass alarm systems.
The camera’s audio feed captured the sound of equipment drilling into the wall. The gang spent up to six hours smashing into display cabinets and pillaging the jewels inside.
They also managed to cut into and breach two of the gold safes, which, according to the owners, contained more than $20 million of cash, gold bars, and jewelry. Police have not yet confirmed the figure.
The suspects even drank an entire bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label whisky, the owner's son said.
“They cleared out everything,” he added. “They didn't leave a dollar for us.”
“In the gold business, you reinvest everything, so all our money was what was in the safe.”
Camera crews given access to the store recorded the empty shelves, cut-open safes, and dust-covered floors.
The owners said it marked the second time that someone had used the vacant building adjacent to Love Jewels to break into their jewelry store.
The family, who say they didn't have insurance for the stolen jewelry because it was too expensive, are offering a $100,000 reward for any information about the burglary.
The Independent has contacted the LAPD and Love Jewels for more information.