GardaWorld Heist

On this past Easter Sunday, up to $30 million was stolen from a vault inside a GardaWorld storage warehouse on Roxford Street in the Sylmar neighborhood of Los Angeles.  The FBI and LAPD are investigating and "are still trying to piece together how burglars breached the roof of GardaWorld in Sylmar on Easter Sunday without triggering any alarms." GardaWorld did not know that there had been a heist until the facility was opened the next day. "One GardaWorld worker," the article reports, "who wanted to remain anonymous, said the sophisticated heist looks to have been orchestrated by someone with knowledge of the facility's intricate security system."

    It is believed that the thieves entered the building through a roof hatch. Photographs of the exterior of building also show a hole in the wall which may have been used to exit the building.  

    Per the LA Times, "it was not common knowledge that the building contained a cash vault." Also, although "[a]t least one alarm was triggered during the crime, but it was not connected to local law enforcement, according to a source familiar with the investigation who was not authorized to discuss it publicly." Consequently the thieves were able to get away undetected until the vault was opened on Monday. The article also states:

    Experts believe investigators are already looking for similar heists around the globe for possible connections.

    Police are also seeking video surveillance from the surrounding area.

    It has “all the markings of a really well-thought-out job” performed by a “professional crew,” according to Scott Andrew Selby, co-author of “Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History.”

    Selby said it is possible the thieves had some inside intelligence about the layout and security of the facility.

    John McEarchan, a former FBI agent, agreed. He helped investigate what was long considered the largest cash robbery in Los Angeles: the Sept. 12, 1997, theft of $18.9 million from the former site of the Dunbar Armored facility on Mateo Street. Those behind the incident eventually were caught.

    “In something like this, you have got to look at employees first and an internal theft. Someone knows the weakness of the facility — where they should enter, what areas may not be alarmed or [have] motion detectors. There shouldn’t be a square inch that isn’t on video,” he said. “Someone knows the layout. I would not be surprised [if] it leads to a current or former employee being involved.”

No one apparently witnessed the theft, but one nearby resident reported having heard mechanical sounds about the time of the heist, while a local business owner reported that Wi-Fi was down at the time. The LA Times article notes: "It’s unclear whether that was connected to the heist. But Wi-Fi jammers have become a common tool of theft gangs during their burglaries of homes in Southern California because they knock out many security cameras that could capture video or stills of them or their vehicles."