A business owner is ringing the alarm Wednesday after he says burglars targeted his recycling center in downtown Los Angeles.
Surveillance video shared with NBC4 shows the group of thieves taking an entire safe with cash from the office early Wednesday morning.
Jeremy De Leon says happened to his business has been a recent trend in the industry because the thieves have figured out how they operate.
“To be competitive, we are required to manage cash and I believe these individuals have identified that,” said de Leon. “This is why they know that there has to be a safe.”
Other scrap yard owners across Southern California have also been burglarized in similar fashion, according to de Leon.
“We have a (group) chat with multiple scrap yards that have gone through the same situation as us, and in this chat we’ve been able to exchange information,” said de Leon.
Last month, six people were caught on camera breaking into a recycling plant on Farmdale in North Hollywood. The burglars broke the front lock, and within minutes they were inside the office, where the shop owner tells NBC4 they had more than $35,000 in cash.
In some cases, the thieves are seen fleeing in different cars.
Several shop owners have come forward to NBC4 about similar crimes at their properties. For de Leon, he says the crime spree is hurting small businesses that are trying to get by and hopes detectives can make an arrest soon before the group strikes again.
LAPD tells NBC4 they are investigating the burglary. So far, no arrests have been made.