An L. A jewelry store, Love Jewels, is reeling after a meticulously planned heist left the owners devastated and without insurance coverage.
According to Fox 11 and NBC 4, a group of suspects tunneled through a three-foot brick wall from an adjacent vacant building to break into the store. This happened around 10 p.m. on Sunday.
Fox 11 reports that the suspects “tunneled through multiple levels of concrete” to reach the store’s interior, per LAPD Officer David Cuellar.
Once inside, the burglars cut the power to the security cameras and disabled the alarm system. This enabled them to go several hours undetected.
The Love Jewels store owner’s son estimated they had five to six hours inside. During this period, they accessed both safes holding the store’s merchandise. The thieves carted away with gold chains and bracelets.
Employees discovered the break-in by Monday morning. Initially, police believed around $10 million had been stolen. However, the owner later told the Associated Press that the actual loss was closer to $20 million. Tragically, none of the inventory was insured.
“They took over 20 years of my father’s work,” the owner’s son said in an interview with NBC 4. He added that the family had reinvested everything into the business. “We’re literally penniless.”
On Tuesday, staff covered the tunnel entrance with a metal plate and began repairs. The LAPD and FBI are now investigating what appears to be one of the most daring jewelry heists in recent Los Angeles history.
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
