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• The Guardian
• Wed Apr 16 2025

Burglars tunneled through a concrete wall to gain access to a Los Angeles jewelry store, making off with at least $10m worth of watches, pendants, gold chains and other merchandise, police said.

The heist happened around 9.30pm on Sunday at Love Jewels on Broadway in the heart of downtown, according to officer David Cuellar with the LA police department.

Investigators were reviewing security camera footage that shows the suspects entering the store from a large hole they drilled from the property next door, he said.

?They tunneled through multiple levels of concrete into the target location,? Cuellar said on Tuesday.

An unknown number of suspects fled through the same hole and drove off in a late model Chevy truck, he said. The heist was not discovered until store employees arrived for work on Monday morning.

Initial estimates were that about $10m worth of merchandise was stolen, Cuellar said, adding that the number could change. In an interview with local television station KTTV, the owner said the loss was upwards of $20m.

In security video obtained by KTTV, the sound of a drill can be heard from inside the store. Once inside, the burglars apparently cut the cameras? wires.

The TV station showed holes cut in a large safe, overturned jewel cases and an empty bottle of scotch whisky.

Love Jewels?s website advertises items like a 14-karat yellow gold rope chain for $1,200, heart-shaped gold earrings for $200 and a gold cross pendant for $550. Videos on the store?s social media shows glass cases filled with rings, watches and necklaces.

Phone calls and emails were sent to the store on Tuesday.

Detectives examined the scene for fingerprints and DNA, police said.