LOS ANGELES, CA – Two masked suspects allegedly burglarized Rafaela Jewelry in Downtown Los Angeles early Thursday and crashed a white van into the building as they fled, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
The LAPD said it received a call around 2:45 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, about a break-in at the store in the 700 block of S. Broadway at 7th Street. Police said two masked suspects were seen taking merchandise from the shop.
Officers arrived several minutes after the call, but the suspects were already gone. No arrests had been reported as of Friday, Oct. 16.
The investigation is ongoing, police said.
Break-in reported before 3 a.m.
The call to police came in around 2:45 a.m., according to the LAPD. The department said the report described a break-in at Rafaela Jewelry, which sits at the corner of South Broadway and 7th Street in Downtown Los Angeles.
The location is in the Downtown Jewelry District. Police said the suspects were seen taking goods from inside the store while the burglary was underway.
The LAPD said the two suspects wore masks. The department has not released a physical description of either person.
Sedan and van used by the suspects
Police said the suspects used two vehicles: a dark-colored sedan and a white van. The LAPD has not released makes, models or license plate information for either vehicle.
The department said the white van crashed into the building as the suspects fled. Police did not say in the information released which part of the building the van struck.
Officers arrived several minutes after the call. By then, the suspects were gone, police said.
Door and counters damaged
Police said the shop’s front door was severely damaged. Glass countertops inside the store were shattered, and jewelry was scattered across the floor.
The LAPD said it is not yet known exactly what was taken. Police have not released an estimate of the value of the merchandise or the cost of the damage.
Central Community Police Station covers Downtown
Burglaries in the Downtown Los Angeles area fall under the LAPD Central Community Police Station. The station serves the part of Downtown that includes the Broadway jewelry district, and it is the station residents and business owners contact about crimes there.
The LAPD said the case remains under investigation. The department has not said which unit is handling it.
LAPD publishes Central Area crime statistics
The LAPD posts crime mapping and COMPSTAT statistical profiles on its website. The profiles include weekly reports for Central Area, which covers the Downtown Jewelry District and tracks burglary and breaking-and-entering offenses.
Those profiles are published for the area as a whole. They do not describe this case, and they do not show whether it is connected to any other incident.
Van crash falls under traffic records
The crash of the van into the building is a separate matter from the burglary itself. The City of Los Angeles open data portal publishes LAPD traffic collision records from 2010 to the present. The portal listing is not specific to this crash, and the LAPD has not said whether a collision report was filed.
Police have not said whether anyone was injured in the crash. No injuries were reported in the information the department released.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police
Anyone with information about the burglary, the suspects or the vehicles is asked to contact the LAPD Central Community Police Station. Police have not announced a reward in the case.
Suspects remain at large
The two masked suspects had not been arrested as of Friday, and the LAPD investigation remains active. What was taken from the store has not been determined, and the department had not announced charges or identified a suspect.
