In the early morning hours of July 11, 2022, one of two drivers of a Brink's truck carrying jewelry between shows in the U.S. state of California stopped at a Flying J truck stop near Lebec, north of Los Angeles. He went to get something to eat while his codriver slept in the truck cab's sleeper, a rest period mandated by federal hours of service regulations. When the driver returned, he found that the lock on the truck's rear doors had been broken. He woke the other driver, and in the trailer they found that almost a third of the jewelry bags they had been transporting were missing, whereupon they alerted both their employer and law enforcement.[1]
| Date | July 11, 2022 |
|---|---|
| Time | 2–2:30 a.m. (Pacific Time) |
| Location | Lebec, California, United States |
| Coordinates | 34°48′56″N 118°53′20″W / 34.8156°N 118.8890°W |
| Type | Jewelry theft |
| Perpetrator | Unknown |
| Property damage | $8.7–100 million in jewelry stolen |
Brink's estimated that $8.7 million in jewelry had been stolen and promised to reimburse the affected jewelers. Some of the jewelers have sued the company, however, admitting that they like many of their colleagues routinely understated the value of the jewelry being transported on manifests they filed with Brink's, in order to keep their insurance costs down to a level where their businesses can be profitable. They have accused Brink's of negligently failing to properly secure the truck. Brink's in turn has countersued to limit the payout to the declared value of the jewelry. Estimates of its true value have reached $100 million, which would make it one of the largest jewelry thefts in modern American history and among the ten largest ever. The loss has effectively forced some of the jewelers to close their businesses and leave the industry.[2][3]
It is believed that due to the amount of jewelry stolen in such a short time that there were several people involved. That in turn has suggested the possibility that the theft was not a crime of opportunity and the truck may have been specifically targeted. Several incidents of suspicious behavior were reported at the show the jewelry was being transported from around the time it was closing and the truck was being loaded. Some of the jewelers believe that the theft was an inside job, or at least that Brink's may know more than it has publicly disclosed. It is seen as unlikely that any of the stolen jewelry will be recovered since the metals can be melted down and reused and any known identifying marks on stones are often eliminated by jewelers working with thieves. Police and the FBI continue to investigate but no suspects have been named.
Background
editOn the afternoon of July 10, 2022, jewelers exhibiting their wares at the International Gem & Jewelry Show, a traveling event, were getting ready to close up and pack after three days at the San Mateo County Event Center in the San Francisco Bay Area. A large amount of jewelry business is transacted at these shows. Many sellers buy from makers "on memo", a consignment arrangement where they do not have to pay the maker until the piece actually sells, requiring considerable personal trust.[4][5] Items on offer at San Mateo ranged from decorative beads to rare Rolex watches.[2]
Due to the valuable merchandise readily accessible, jewelry shows and those who sell at them are vigilant for possible thieves, usually those attempting smash and grabs. Public-address announcements regularly remind all present to report any suspicious behavior they see to security. On that day, one jeweler present later recalled, the announcements seemed more frequent and specific than usual, mentioning the presence of "suspicious individuals on site". The show's manager, Brandy Swanson, chased a man wearing a surgical mask and earpiece who had been sitting on a folding chair watching jewelers pack up after the show ended, when all members of the public were no longer allowed in, and had him escorted out of the event center after he claimed not to be able to speak English in response to her questions. He was met outside by a similarly masked man and the two left together.[4]
Swanson said she informed two workers from Brink's about the encounter; they seemed unconcerned (The company has denied receiving any information about this or any other suspicious individuals or behavior from show personnel). The Brink's personnel at the show would be transporting bags of jewelry to the next show in Pasadena. Since many of the jewelers were traveling with goods worth millions of dollars, they contracted with the company to handle them rather than using their own cars for the merchandise.[2]
James Beaty and Tandy Motley, the two Brink's guards who would drive the jewelry bags to Pasadena, began loading the 73 bags, weighing 70–100 pounds (32–45 kg) each,[1] into a tractor trailer. The company used that for the shipment rather than its armored cars since it could put all the bags in one vehicle. While loading, Beaty and Motley both noticed a man watching them intently from a nearby vehicle; they are not sure if it was the same man. Neither of the drivers challenged them because they were not sure of their suspicions; however Motley informed both his fellow Brink's employees and Swanson.[4]
Others present also reported suspicious activity. One dealer who had stepped outside for a break saw a vehicle with heavy tint on all its windows, even the windshield, and no license plates. When he tried to take a picture, it drove away. Security also found another man, also with an earpiece, wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap, loitering near the loading area. Asked to leave, he drove off in a Dodge Charger that "looked funny"; they were able to photograph it.[6] ` Beaty and Motley say that no one advised them to take any extra precautions on the trip to Pasadena. After loading the truck and locking it up, with a single padlock and security seal on the rear doors, they began the 370-mile (600 km) drive shortly before 8:30 p.m. Before it left, Beaty had gone into the sleeper in the rear of the cab to get the 10 hours' rest mandated by federal hours of service regulations before he could drive the truck again.[4]
Theft
editAt 2 a.m., having driven almost 300 miles (480 km) nonstop down Interstate 5 since leaving San Mateo, Motley pulled off the highway at the Frazier Mountain Road exit just south of the small town of Lebec, where I-5 begins to climb through Tejon Pass. A short distance to the west, he turned into a Flying J truck stop on the south side of the road, just over the Los Angeles County line. Motley parked the truck and went inside to get something to eat, leaving Beaty asleep in the cab.[4]
Motley returned almost a half hour later and, per company protocol, inspected the vehicle. He saw that the seal at the rear had been broken and the padlock "cut away". Other than that, he noticed nothing unusual. Motley woke Beaty up and the two checked the trailer. It appeared some of the bags had been taken. They called the company and then notified the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which sent deputies to the scene to take a report and investigate. At their behest, the drivers counted the bags and determined that 24 of the 73 bags had been taken.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b Winton, Richard (July 22, 2022). "Mystery of the jewel heist from a Brink's truck in California". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
- ^ a b c Green, Miranda (May 25, 2023). "The Ugly Fight Over the Brink's Robbery in California". New York. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
- ^ Stumpf, Rob (July 25, 2022). "Truck Stop Jewelry Heist of Up to $100M Could Be Among Largest Ever: Report". The Drive. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "What May Be One of the Biggest Jewelry Heists Ever Is Still a Mystery". Bloomberg Businessweek. June 30, 2023. Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
- ^ Miller, Daniel; Winton, Richard (September 1, 2022). "Jeweler victimized in Brink's heist: 'I was torn apart'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
- ^ Miller, Daniel; Winton, Richard (November 18, 2022). "Brink's truck heist: Strange men at jewelry show could be clue". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 29, 2024.