KPIX says the gems — some of which were sapphires and 19-karat yellow gold — were to be displayed at the Pasadena International Gems and Jewelry Show, a direct-to-consumer jewelry show that sells loose gems, watches and accessories. The merchandise was reportedly loaded into the Brink’s vehicle last Sunday night, and by Monday morning about two dozen lockers were gone — and so were the livelihoods of the 18 vendors.
“My life. This is how I live. This is how I feed my children,” an unnamed victim told the outlet. KPIX says the jeweler does not have a showroom and makes all of its money through trade shows. Some victims had reportedly spent nearly 40 years building their repertoires when they suddenly disappeared early that day.
Brink’s released the following statement to KPIX: “Earlier this week, a loss incident involving a Brink’s vehicle occurred near Los Angeles. We are cooperating with law enforcement and will fully reimburse our customers for the value of their property of stolen data, in accordance with the terms of our contract.”
The agency confirmed that the FBI is investigating the incident with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
In the past, Brink’s has faced its fair share of robberies.
In March 2022, the Bay Area News Group reported that three masked men robbed a Brink’s security guard at gunpoint in a 7-Eleven parking lot in Oakland. They reportedly took his bag full of cash and fled, although the guard was not injured. In 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported that a Brink’s security guard was killed in a “shootout” with armed robbers at a Bank of America branch inside a San Fernando Valley Albertson’s.
However, none of these incidents compare to the “crime of the century” that took place in Boston in 1950, when a group of masked robbers wearing masks, crepe shoes and chauffeur hats stole $1.2 million in cash and 1.5 million dollars in checks. from the Brink’s brick and mortar location. The FBI history page says that at the time, it was the largest heist in the US
