Thieves stole as much as $30 million from a money storage facility in Los Angeles on Easter Sunday in one of the biggest cash heists in the city’s history, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Wednesday that The theft happened at a facility in the Sylmar area of the San Fernando Valley, where cash from businesses across the region is handled and stored, Los Angeles police Cmdr. Elaine Morales told the Times.
While Morales did not name the facility, KABC-TV reported that the theft took place at a GardaWorld, a global cash management and security company. GardaWorld did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for a comment Thursday.
Burglars entered without activating the alarm
The burglars were able to break into the building, as well as the safe where the money was stored, without activating the alarms, Morales told the newspaper. Officials familiar with the case told KABC-TV that the burglars might have entered the building through the roof and somehow made their way to the money storage area, “which may have been a vault.”
Police told the Times that there was no indication of a heist from outside, and that the missing cash was not discovered until the vault was opened on Monday by the business operators.
KABC-TV reported that an “apparent hole” was seen on the side of the building “that was boarded up,” with a pile of debris next to it. However, it is not clear if the damage was related to Sunday’s heist.
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FBI and LAPD jointly investigating heist
Los Angeles police told USA TODAY that the theft was being jointly investigated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and that all inquiries would be handled directly by the federal agency. The FBI, meanwhile, did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for an update on the investigation.
Law enforcement officials told the Times that the incident was perplexing, given that only a handful of people would have known about the money in the safe. The break-in was described as being elaborate, suggesting that those who were able to gain access to the facility were experienced and well-versed with the system.
Sunday’s break-in is among the largest cash burglaries in Los Angeles, according to the Times. The extent of the damage will not be known until the investigation is complete.
Sylmar is approximately 23 miles north of downtown Los Angeles.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.
