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Investigators were reviewing security camera footage that shows
the suspects entering the store from a large hole they drilled
from the property next door, he said.
“They tunneled through multiple levels of concrete into the
target location,” Cuellar said Tuesday.
An unknown number of suspects fled through the same hole and
drove off in a late model Chevy truck, he said. The heist wasn't
discovered until store employees arrived for work Monday
morning.
Initial estimates are that $10 million worth of merchandise was
stolen, Cuellar said, adding that the number could change. The
owner told The Associated Press the loss was around $20 million,
and that they did not have insurance. No alarms went off and the
feed to their in-store security cameras were cut.
At the store on Tuesday, workers covered up the hole in the wall
with a metal plate, repaired other damage and cleaned up
overturned display cases and discarded boxes. Two large safes
were broken into, containing all the merchandise they had in the
store.
Customers and friends stopped by to offer sympathy, with some
even asking to purchase items.
Love Jewels' website advertises items like a 14 karat yellow
gold rope chain for $1,200, heart-shaped gold earrings for $200
and a gold cross pendant for $550. Videos on the store's social
media shows glass cases filled with rings, watches and
necklaces.
Detectives examined the scene for fingerprints and DNA, police
said.
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