Tens of millions stolen from money storage facility in one of the largest cash heists in Southern California

NBC Los Angeles

Thieves stole tens of millions of dollars from a money storage facility in what is being called one of the largest cash heists in Southern California.

The robbery happened on Easter Sunday at a GardaWorld facility. NBC Los Angeles reported that it occurred in the 15000 block of Roxford Street in Sylmar in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley.

Burglars breached the building as well as the safe where the facility stores money, Los Angeles Police Department Cmdr. Elaine Morales told the Los Angeles Times.

While the Times reported that as much as $30 million was taken, multiple law enforcement sources familiar with the matter told NBC News they are trying to assess exactly how much money was taken.

Morales did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday, and a spokesperson for the LAPD would not confirm details in the Times' article.

The LAPD and the FBI are conducting a joint investigation, the LAPD spokesperson said. The FBI and GardaWorld were not immediately available for comment.

GardaWorld says on its website that it is a "long-standing security partner of choice to some of the most prominent brands, Fortune 500 corporations and governments." Its mission is to protect its clients' assets and operations.

The company has 425 branch offices across 45 countries, according to its website.

An employee at GardaWorld told NBC Los Angeles "the place is pretty secure."

"They check that the alarm is set up, so, just to think that they were able to go through the security system and get away with all that money, it’s a shocker,” said the employee, who asked to remain anonymous.

The alleged heist is said to be one of the largest in Southern California and comes two years after the multimillion-dollar theft of jewelry and gemstones from a Brink's tractor-trailer while the driver was inside asleep. A second driver was away from the vehicle for nearly 30 minutes getting food inside a rest stop. Some have said thieves took 22 bags worth less than $10 million while others believe it was roughly $100 million. No arrests have been made.

On Sept. 12, 1997, $18.9 million was stolen from the former site of the Dunbar Armored facility on Mateo Street in Los Angeles. The robbers were eventually caught, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Advertisement