A Home Depot in Lakewood was the site of the newest smash-and-grab theft in Los Angeles County Friday night, and it appears the thieves stole tools that could be used for future crimes, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
At about 7:45 p.m., eight or nine young men entered Home Depot, located at 5000 Hardwick St., and stole multiple hammers, crowbars, wrenches and other tools before fleeing into waiting vehicles, according to Detective Collinsworth of the Sheriff’s Department.
The tools totaled about $400 in value and it is believed the thieves fled into “a red in color Mercedes Benz with severe damage to the front of the vehicle,” the Sheriff’s Department added in a release.
Detectives are on scene investigating the theft and reviewing security footage, Collinsworth added.
Luis Romo, a Home Depot employee, said he saw somewhere between 18 and 22 thieves enter the store together.
“They had the sledgehammers ready to hit people who were trying to stop them,” Romo said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Lakewood Station at 562-623-3500.
To submit information anonymously, call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477) or visit lacrimestoppers.org.