On March 31, 2024, which was Easter, thieves broke into a GardaWorld facility in Sylmar, Los Angeles. They stole about $20 million. This was one of the largest thefts in U.S. history.

Incident

On March 30, 2024, at about 11:30 pm, a burglar alarm was activated at the GardaWorld private security facility on Roxford Street in Sylmar, Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) received a call about this alert, which was the latest in more than a dozen similar calls at the same location over the past year. The police dismissed this alert as a false alarm. Three more calls were made starting at 4:30 am the next day, which was Easter Sunday. After an investigation, no suspicious activity was found. The break-in was first reported to the LAPD around noon. The next day, officials discovered that about $30 million was missing from the safe, though this amount was later reduced to approximately $20 million. At first, officials believed thieves had broken through walls and the roof to enter the building, and the roof was later confirmed as the entry point. The burglars used tunneling to enter the building and accessed the safe without setting off any alarms. There were no signs of forced entry to the vault area.

This theft was one of the largest in U.S. history. It exceeded the Dunbar Armored robbery in Los Angeles, where six men stole nearly $19 million in 1997.

Investigation

The Los Angeles Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are working together to investigate the crime. A person who lives near the Tahitian Mobile Home Park reported hearing a loud mechanical sound that lasted for at least two hours coming from the GardaWorld facility early on Easter Sunday morning. A convenience store owner nearby said the shop's WiFi signal was not working for most of the day, leading to suspicions that the thieves might have used equipment to block signals and disable security cameras.