Latest news with #LoveJewels
American Military News
21-04-2025
- American Military News
In cinema-style heist, tunneling thieves steal millions in gold, jewels from downtown LA
The FBI is now investigating a jewelry heist that involved thieves tunneling through multiple walls to break into a downtown Los Angeles jewelry store over the weekend. Millions of dollars in gold and jewels were stolen from a downtown jeweler's two enormous safes after burglars tunneled into the Broadway shop through multiple reinforced walls, police said. In security video of the weekend break-in, a massive drill can be heard carving through the main castlelike wall, making a hole big enough for a person to slip through to enter Love Jewels, Reina de Oro at Broadway and 5th Street. Los Angeles Police say the thieves on Sunday night cut through a room next to the gold merchant in the 500 block of Broadway. LAPD officials said the owners informed the department that the thieves took about $10 million worth of merchandise. LAPD Capt. Raul Jovel, who oversees the department's central division, said the thieves tunneled into the building through the Roxy, a small movie theater next door. 'They went for some really thick old walls. They went into one small room and then through a second wall,' Jovel said. 'This was serious digging.' Jovel said initially it was thought only about $5 million in jewelry was stolen, but officials now believe north of $10 million was taken. On Tuesday, the FBI's major theft task force took over the investigation, according to LAPD communications director Jennifer Forkish. In recent years, burglars have entered jewelry stores through rooftops, Joven said. Tunneling, while rare, isn't unheard of. A business in the Fashion District was burglarized through tunneling thieves, Joven said. In Northern California, thieves last summer stole dozens of guns by tunneling into a store. The jewelry store, which has heavy security, is known for being the source of bling for rappers, artists, and some gangsters. On social media, the store boasts images of personal necklace tributes, gold Rolex watch straps, diamond-encrusted miniature AK-47s, M-4 trinkets, and enormous racks of gold chains. The theft is the latest in a series of cinema-style high-profile capers that have seen millions in cash, gold, or diamonds stolen while the suspects avoid detection. In 2022, as much as $100 million in jewels was stolen from a Brinks big rig. As one guard and another went into a gas station, a gang of thieves made off with the massive haul within a 27-minute window. Then, in March of last year, thieves stole as much as $30 million from GardaWorld's Sylmar cash storage facility. Los Angeles police responded to three alarms at the facility during the biggest heist in the city's history on Easter weekend, but the criminals remained undetected. In the latest downtown tunnel caper, LAPD investigators say the burglars, after entering, cut the security camera feed, and there are no images of them inside the business. However, LAPD forensic experts are examining the scene for fingerprints and DNA. LAPD investigators examined recordings and determined the heist began about 9:30 p.m. Sunday, but the burglar crew could have begun cutting into adjacent properties earlier. The jewelers discovered the theft Monday morning when they arrived at their shop. Investigators believe the likely high-level professional burglars spent several hours inside the business. The modus operandi of such a crime has already helped narrow the potential participants in the heist. Burglars have taken to digging their way into vaults since at least the 1980s. Back then, there was a crew known as the Hole in the Ground Gang that tunneled under three L.A.-area banks, zipping around underground in all-terrain vehicles. They broke into two of the banks, making off with about $270,000 and the contents of safe-deposit boxes worth potentially millions. Last March, thieves tried to tunnel into a jeweler at the Topanga Canyon Plaza in Chatsworth. According to the LAPD, the owner was working and triggered the robbery alarm despite it being the middle of the night. The thieves had broken through multiple walls in a neighboring salon and another business to reach the jeweler's interior wall. ___ © 2025 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The Guardian
16-04-2025
- The Guardian
Burglars tunnel through wall to steal $10m in goods from LA jewelry store
Burglars tunneled through a concrete wall to gain access to a Los Angeles jewelry store, making off with at least $10m worth of watches, pendants, gold chains and other merchandise, police said. The heist happened around 9.30pm on Sunday at Love Jewels on Broadway in the heart of downtown, according to officer David Cuellar with the LA police department. Investigators were reviewing security camera footage that shows the suspects entering the store from a large hole they drilled from the property next door, he said. 'They tunneled through multiple levels of concrete into the target location,' Cuellar said on Tuesday. An unknown number of suspects fled through the same hole and drove off in a late model Chevy truck, he said. The heist was not discovered until store employees arrived for work on Monday morning. Initial estimates were that about $10m worth of merchandise was stolen, Cuellar said, adding that the number could change. In an interview with local television station KTTV, the owner said the loss was upwards of $20m. In security video obtained by KTTV, the sound of a drill can be heard from inside the store. Once inside, the burglars apparently cut the cameras' wires. The TV station showed holes cut in a large safe, overturned jewel cases and an empty bottle of scotch whisky. Love Jewels's website advertises items like a 14-karat yellow gold rope chain for $1,200, heart-shaped gold earrings for $200 and a gold cross pendant for $550. Videos on the store's social media shows glass cases filled with rings, watches and necklaces. Phone calls and emails were sent to the store on Tuesday. Detectives examined the scene for fingerprints and DNA, police said.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Millions in gold, jewels stolen by burglars who tunneled into downtown L.A. jewelers
Millions of dollars in gold and jewels were stolen from a downtown Los Angeles jeweler's two enormous safes after burglars tunneled into the Broadway shop through multiple reinforced walls, police said. In a security video of the weekend break-in, a massive drill can be heard carving through the main castle-like wall, making a hole big enough for a person to slip through to enter Love Jewels, Reina de Oro at Broadway and 5th Street. Los Angeles Police say the thieves sometime between Sunday night and Monday morning cut through a room next to the gold merchant at 510 S. Broadway. LAPD Cmdr. Lillian Carranza said the owners informed the department that the thieves took about $5 million worth of merchandise. In an interview with KTTV, the owner said the loss was upwards of $20 million. The store with heavy security is known for being the source of bling for rappers, artists and some gangsters. On social media, the store boasts images of personal necklace tributes, gold Rolex watch straps, diamond-encrusted miniature AK-47s, M-4 trinkets and enormous racks of gold chains. Investigators say the burglars, after entering, cut the security camera feed so there are no images of them inside the business. But LAPD forensic experts are examining the scene for fingerprints and DNA. The jewelers uncovered the massive heist Monday morning when they arrived at their shop. Investigators believe the likely high-level professional burglars spent several hours inside the business. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
15-04-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Millions in gold, jewels stolen by burglars who tunneled into downtown L.A. jewelers
Millions of dollars in gold and jewels were stolen from a downtown Los Angeles jeweler's two enormous safes after burglars tunneled into the Broadway shop through multiple reinforced walls, police said. In a security video of the weekend break-in, a massive drill can be heard carving through the main castle-like wall, making a hole big enough for a person to slip through to enter Love Jewels, Reina de Oro at Broadway and 5th Street. Los Angeles Police say the thieves sometime between Sunday night and Monday morning cut through a room next to the gold merchant at 510 S. Broadway. LAPD Cmdr. Lillian Carranza said the owners informed the department that the thieves took about $5 million worth of merchandise. In an interview with KTTV, the owner said the loss was upwards of $20 million. The store with heavy security is known for being the source of bling for rappers, artists and some gangsters. On social media, the store boasts images of personal necklace tributes, gold Rolex watch straps, diamond-encrusted miniature AK-47s, M-4 trinkets and enormous racks of gold chains. Investigators say the burglars, after entering, cut the security camera feed so there are no images of them inside the business. But LAPD forensic experts are examining the scene for fingerprints and DNA. The jewelers uncovered the massive heist Monday morning when they arrived at their shop. Investigators believe the likely high-level professional burglars spent several hours inside the business.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Yahoo
Thieves make off with more than $20M in goods after tunneling into jewelry store
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.
