In a meticulously planned heist, thieves tunneled through a brick wall into a Los Angeles jewelry store, disabled its security system, and escaped with $20 million in gold and gems—without triggering a single alarm.
At approximately 10 p.m. April 13, the thieves broke into Love Jewels, a family-run business in Downtown Los Angeles, through a hole carved into a three-foot brick wall, People reported. Once inside, they managed to disable all surveillance cameras and bypass the alarm system.
With no alert to police or store owners, the suspects reportedly spent five to six hours inside the premises, cracking open two large safes and removing nearly all of the store's merchandise.
The thieves escaped through the same tunnel and fled in a Chevy truck. The break-in was not discovered until the next morning.
On April 15, employees patched up the wall and began repairs, but the damage—both financial and emotional—has been devastating. The store, known for its extensive collection of gold chains and bracelets, had no insurance on its inventory.
The store's owner and his family say the loss has left them financially ruined.
"We're penniless," the owner told NBC Los Angeles, revealing that the entire family's investment was tied up in the store's inventory.
The LAPD and FBI have launched a joint investigation, but as of now, no arrests have been made and no suspects identified.
Originally published on Latin Times
