An armored truck in California was robbed last week, with thieves stealing millions of dollars worth of gems and valuable items.
“My life. That’s how I live. That’s how I feed my kids,” one of the jewelers told CBS’s KPIX. “Sunday you had merchandise. Today you don’t have anything.” He noted that all of his work is carried out by going to trade shows.
Brink’s Co., the security company at the center of the heist, noted that customers who had sent their possessions in the truck said the entire value of the stolen pieces amounted to under $10 million.
“According to the information the customers provided to us before they shipped their items, the total value of the missing items is less than $10 million,” the company 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.”
Dana Callahan, a spokeswoman for Brink’s Co., said the belongings were taken early on July 11. The theft took place in Los Angeles County, close to Frazier Park, which is a town of around 3,000 people around 50 miles away from Los Angeles, Laura Eimiller said, per The Wall Street Journal. Eimiller is a spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation in L.A. The FBI and the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department are working together on the case.
The pieces were on their way from an event by the International Gem and Jewelry Show close to San Francisco to an additional location in Pasadena, according to Brandy Swanson, the event director for the organization.
While Callahan said the value of the stolen items was under $10 million, one of the jewelers — who remained anonymous — told the Times that he guessed the entire amount ranged from $20 million to $50 million. The anonymous jeweler also told the Times that the company was not being clear with the people to whom the items belonged, and lots of simply questions about the situation were not answered.
The New York Post reported that Swanson said the amount lost was over $100 million, with CBS reporting that some vendors said it could even be $150 million.
“It’s their whole life. Some of these people are completely done at this point,” Swanson said.
The event surrounding the theft have not been made clear, but the items taken included multiple gold and diamond necklaces. The amount of belongings stolen was also not immediately evident, according to The New York Times. The company, as well as officials, did not give information about the location where the theft took place or if anyone was hurt in the process.