Los Angeles police and the FBI are investigating a mysterious burglary in which nearly $30 million was stolen by drilling through the roof of a cash depository before breaking into its safe.
• Read also: He admits to stealing a gold toilet worth $8 million
This high-flying heist looks like it came straight out of the movie “Ocean’s Eleven.”
It took place Sunday and is one of the largest burglaries in the city’s history, said David Cuellar of the Los Angeles police.
The thieves broke through the roof to gain access to the building’s vault and escape the sophisticated alarm system, according to the Los Angeles Times, citing a source close to the investigation.
Elaborate and complex, the heist appears to be the work of an experienced team and was only discovered Monday, when staff opened the vault, according to the daily.
“It’s so incredible you’d never know it,” an anonymous employee at the facility told ABC News. “I’m still trying to understand. Was it an inside job? A single person ? Was it a group? There are a lot of questions to ask.”
Beyond the Hollywood sets, Los Angeles is already no stranger to sophisticated heists in real life.
Two years ago, robbers stole nearly $100 million worth of jewelry from a truck parked at a highway rest area, which was supposed to deliver precious stones and jewelry for an exhibition in the city.
Last July, a man also cut a hole in the ceiling of an upscale wine store near Venice Beach. He left with $600,000 worth of great wines from Burgundy and Bordeaux.
According to the LA Times, the largest known cash heist in the city’s history took place in 1997, when $18.9 million was stolen from a security depository. The thieves were eventually arrested.
