Copper thieves have struck again in the South Bay region of Los Angeles, leaving behind extensive damage to power poles and businesses.
The latest incident happened Friday night outside a business in the Broadway corridor of East Gardena, according to David Matthews, president of the Harbor Gateway Chamber of Commerce. In an email to KTLA, Matthews confirmed the theft and shared photos of the aftermath.
One image shows a splintered utility pole knocked to the ground outside of a business at 15905 S. Broadway, with severed wires strewn across the street. Another photo captures a large section of cable dangling from a pole, its copper core exposed where someone had cut through the casing.
This incident comes just one day after a string of copper thefts was reported in nearby West Rancho Dominguez. Thieves there have been targeting warehouses and industrial businesses, cutting through iron gates and electrical boxes to remove wiring.
At L.A. Press, a local printing business, wiring worth less than $1,000 was stolen, but repair costs reached more than $22,000 and forced the shop to halt production. Other victims included oil facilities that were forced offline when vandals removed wiring.
Business owners told KTLA the criminals are becoming increasingly bold, breaking in almost nightly and leaving companies with mounting repair bills and production delays. Residents have made repeated calls to city officials and law enforcement, but no arrests have been announced.
Authorities continue to investigate the series of thefts.
Travis Schlepp contributed to this report.
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