All of the most recent robberies committed by the copper wire thieves were captured on camera, even though they persisted in targeting the Harbor Gateway neighborhood over the Thanksgiving holiday.
“Our community right now is just being ravaged by this group that’s stealing copper,”
The suspects were seen on camera cutting many wires from poles using a grinder, then loading the copper into a shopping cart and leaving. According to a neighbor, in the late afternoon, sparks flew into the air from the grinder.
“They’re stealing copper out of anything and everything,”
According to David Matthews of the Harbor-Gateway Chamber of Commerce, the robbers have gone one step further with their robberies, damaging one structure to the tune of about $500,000.
“They’re going in and cutting the power off the power poles and waiting for the backup alarms to go off,” he explained. “They in, take whatever they want, and steal. The damage to this particular structure was half a million dollars.
The previous month, robbers used a nursery to enter an adjacent building.
“They actually took the LADWP transformers, stole all the copper went into the building and ransacked that building,” Matthews stated.
Matthews said more recently, burglars targeted a railroad crossing down the street.
“They deactivated all the crossing signals on two specific streets, stealing the copper,” said Matthews. “They’re stealing copper out of anything and everything.”
A burglar is shown on camera descending from a power pole at 2:15 a.m. on Tuesday before proceeding to load the vehicle.
“The group went up to the AT&T poles and cut the wires out and stole 600 pounds of copper,” said Matthews. “These guys just don’t care.”
Matthews expressed gratitude to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, and other law enforcement agencies for their collaborative efforts in apprehending the robbers.
“There have been some arrests, but the group that’s doing it are still on the street,” he stated.
He pleaded with the bandits to cease stealing and to get out of town.
“Cease. “You’re not welcome in the community,” Matthews declared.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!