LOS ANGELES (AP) — Millions of dollars worth of gems and jewelry were stolen in an armored truck robbery last…
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Millions of dollars worth of gems and jewelry were stolen in an armored truck robbery last week in Southern California, authorities said Sunday.
A Brink’s truck was robbed early on the morning of July 11 near Los Angeles, said Dana Callahan, a spokeswoman for the security company.
The items were loaded into a truck late on July 10 after a show organized by the International Gem and Jewelry Show in San Mateo, south of San Francisco, said Brandy Swenson, the group’s director. She said it was an event at the Pasadena Convention Center, northeast of Los Angeles.
Swanson said between 25 and 30 bags containing an unknown number of individual parts were taken. She said 18 victims are reporting losses of more than $100 million. Callahan said it’s less than $10 million.
“Based on the information customers provided us with prior to shipping their items, the total value of the missing items is less than $10 million,” Brink’s said in a statement. “We are working with law enforcement and we will fully reimburse our customers for the value of their assets that were stolen in accordance with the terms of our contract.”
Laura Eimiller, a spokeswoman for the FBI in Los Angeles, said the robbery happened in the desert town of Lancaster in northern Los Angeles County. Eimiller said the agency is working with local authorities, but she could not immediately provide more information.
A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department dispatcher who patrols Lancaster did not have an update on the investigation Sunday.
Swanson said vendors who travel between jewelry shows typically under-insure their items because they can’t afford to insure them fully.
“That’s where the discrepancy comes in. They’re mom and pop operators,” Swanson said. “They are devastated. Some of these people have lost their livelihood completely.”
The International Gem and Jewelry Show hosts about 45 shows across the country a year, she said.
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