A crew of copper thieves was caught in the act early Tuesday morning as they tried to take an estimated $50,000 worth of wire in the Mission Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, police said.
A caller reported the incident after witnessing multiple suspects cutting the wire from an electrical pole on the 15000 block of Germain Street around 1:30 a.m.
"Upon arrival, the officers observed four suspects at the location with large pieces of copper wire and metal cutting tools on the ground," the Los Angeles Police Department stated. • Police recovered stolen copper wire in Mission Hills. (Los Angeles Police Department) • Police recovered stolen copper wire in Mission Hills. (Los Angeles Police Department)
One of the suspects was immediately taken into custody as the other three fled on foo