A jewelry store in downtown Los Angeles was targeted by burglars on Monday in a raid that may cost the business millions of dollars.
The burglary was reported just before 10 a.m., and when officers arrived to the scene in the 500 block of Broadway, they learned that unknown suspects gained entry and took property, according to Officer Im of the LAPD.
The shop owner’s son, who did not want to be identified, told KTLA that the value of the stolen goods was in the million, and that the thieves, likely a professional crew, tunneled into the store from a neighboring building that’s empty.
“They probably had been in there every night, slowly drilling until there was enough room for them to get in,” he explained.
Once inside, he said the burglars disabled the shop’s cameras and alarm and then entered the main portion of the store where they targeted two large safes, one of which they breached with a drill.
He estimates that the job probably took the crew anywhere from five to six hours, with the job of drilling a hole into the safe taking somewhere around three hours alone. As for the second safe, they managed to get inside of it without drilling.
“They probably had a professional locksmith,” the shop owner’s son said.
While investigators with the Los Angeles Police Department have not confirmed the value of what was taken, the store owner did not carry insurance, his son saying that at around $1 million a year, it’s too expensive to afford.
Elizabeth Chapman contributed to this report.
