LOS ANGELES, CA – A warehouse in Gardena faces extensive damages and a complete halt in operations after copper thieves targeted the facility during the Thanksgiving holiday, causing losses exceeding $500,000. While the Los Angeles Police Department continues its investigation, the business owner, Andrew McKennon, believes the culprits are individuals living in an RV just down the block.
The theft has paralyzed the warehouse, which typically bustles with hundreds of employees fulfilling holiday orders for major retailers such as Amazon and Chewy. Now, the facility is dark, flooded, and unable to process shipments during its busiest season.
“It’s our busiest time of the year, and right now we can’t ship anything,” McKennon said. “This could ruin our year.”
Surveillance footage captured over the weekend shows the thieves stealing televisions, computers, and boxes of products from the warehouse. But the damage extended far beyond the stolen merchandise. The burglars cut electrical power to the building to steal copper wiring from the panels and severed copper pipes, flooding the facility and damaging additional inventory.
“They even brought a ladder to reach a copper pipe on the ceiling,” McKennon noted. “That pipe might be worth $300, but fixing the damage will cost about $10,000.”
McKennon estimates the total losses, including stolen goods and structural damage, to be over $500,000.
The brazen thieves reportedly pushed stolen goods down the street in shopping carts, as seen in the surveillance footage. McKennon alleges that the suspects remain in the area, living in a motor home parked just blocks away.
“We watched them, on the surveillance, take everything out of our building and push it down the street,” McKennon said. “And they’re literally still living down the street with the shopping carts outside the motor home.”
McKennon’s warehouse isn’t the only victim in the area. Nearby businesses, including sofa manufacturer Johnathan Louis International, have also reported thefts they believe to be connected to the same suspects.
“We believe it’s the same people, the homeless individuals living around the block,” said Fernando Ordaz of Johnathan Louis International. “We’re trying to figure out how to mitigate this theft.”
The theft has left McKennon’s company struggling to recover during what is normally its most profitable season. “This could destroy us,” he lamented.
The Los Angeles Police Department is actively investigating the incidents, but no arrests have been made as of Wednesday. McKennon and other affected business owners are urging authorities to address the issue, as the thieves’ continued presence in the neighborhood compounds their frustration and sense of vulnerability.
“We’re hoping for some resolution soon,” McKennon said, adding that the disruption has jeopardized not just his business but the livelihoods of his employees.
The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information about the thefts is encouraged to contact the LAPD.
