One of the largest bank heists in the history of Los Angeles happened last weekend with the burglars making off with a whopping $30 million in an Easter theft at the San Fernando Valley money storage facility, according to local police. I’m surprised it’s taken someone this long to rob the place and clean it out. Times must really be getting hard for thieves. Heck, they can’t just knock off mom and pop stores anymore and make a decent living. That’s how bad things are in Joe Biden’s economy.
Thanks, Mr. President.
I kid of course.
The burglary took place Sunday evening at a facility located in Sylmar where big bucks from a variety of businesses across the area is handled and stored, Los Angeles Police Department Cmdr. Elaine Morales said.
Here’s more from Yahoo:
The thieves were able to breach the building as well as the safe where the money was stored, Morales said. Law enforcement sources said the burglary was among the largest in city history when it comes to cash, and the total also surpassed any armored-car heist in the city.
Sources familiar with the investigation told The Times that a burglary crew broke through the roof of the Gardaworld building on Roxford Street to gain access to the vault. But it is unclear how they avoided the alarm system.
The operators of the business did not discover the massive theft until they opened the vault Monday. An ABC-7 TV news helicopter video showed a large cut on the side of the building covered by a piece of plywood.
A source within law enforcement spoke with the Times and confirmed that there was also an attempt made by the suspects to breach the side of the cash-holding building along with the roof. One of the alarms in the building was triggered, however, it was not connected to local law enforcement. Which might be why they were able to get away with such a large cash horde from the building. They had plenty of time to do their work.
Further adding to the intrigue is that very few individuals would have known of the huge sums of cash being kept in that safe, according to law enforcement sources. The break-in was described as elaborate and suggested an experienced crew who knew how to gain entry to a secure facility and go unnoticed.
This is starting to sound like the plot from “Oceans 11” or something.
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Scott Andrew Selby, co-author of “Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History,” said that the theft has “all the markings of a really well-thought-out job” that was done by a “professional crew,” adding that based on other major heists of this nature, it is likely that the thieves had some inside intelligence.
Selby also stated that investigators will be taking a look at similar crimes from all around the world to see if they can pick up on a pattern that might provide clues to the identity of the crew who pulled off the heist.
Some might be wondering if law enforcement can trace the money. According to Selby, if there are well kept records of the serial numbers on the cash or the money that was collected has already been in circulation. He then revealed that it’s difficult for criminals to hide stolen, traceable cash and to launder it.
“As technology progresses and the world gets small, there are a lot of ways you can mess up and get caught,” Selby explained. “With touch DNA, the slightest mistake can expose the identity of a member of the crew, leading authorities to eventually identify their associates.”
A spokeswoman with the Federal Bureau of Investigation revealed on Wednesday evening that the bureau and the LAPD were investigating the crime.
The prior largest cash robbery in Los Angeles was on Sept. 12, 1997, with the theft of $18.9 million from the former site of the Dunbar Armored facility on Mateo Street. Those behind the incident were eventually caught.