A massive heist in downtown Los Angeles has left the owners of a family-run jewelry store, Love Jewels, grappling with the loss of approximately $20 million in merchandise. In a calculated move, thieves utilized the neighboring vacant theater to tunnel into the store, evading security systems and emptying two safes filled with precious metals and gems. This criminal onslaught against the store occurred around 10 p.m. on Sunday, the Los Angeles Police Department told reporters.
According to ABC7, the burglary suspects managed to bypass security by entering through a wall that separated the jewelry store from an empty neighboring building, then proceeded to dismantle the alarm and surveillance cameras. Kevin, the son of the shop owner, explained, "Twenty years of my father's work is just gone." The severity of the situation is compounded by the fact that the store was uninsured against theft, leaving the family's livelihood in jeopardy, prompting them to offer a $100,000 reward for information that could lead to an arrest and the recovery of the stolen items.
The detailed account of the heist, as reported by CBS News, included the store owner's son expressing his dismay at the extent of the theft, saying, "They cleared out everything. They didn't leave a dollar for us." This incident marks the second instance in which the vacant property has been used to gain unlawful entry into Love Jewels.
"They probably had five, six hours in here," the owner’s son disclosed in an interview with NBC Los Angeles. Meanwhile, investigators have been canvassing the area, piecing together any evidence that may have been left behind in the wake of the thieves' meticulous planning and execution of the crime.
FOX 11's interview with the devastated store owner's son further reveals the impact of the heist, saying, "It took over 20 years for my father to accumulate all that and overnight it was all taken." The report from FOX 11 also indicated that the thieves likely spent about a week cutting through the shop's 3-foot brick wall. LAPD has yet to release any suspect descriptions or confirm the number of individuals involved in the heist. The family has since launched a GoFundMe page to help recover from the loss and garner community support.
