Veterans in a Los Angeles-area city are furious after thieves stole a life-sized bronze soldier from a military memorial — despite a warning that the site was under 24-hour surveillance.
The suspects cut the heavy statue from its base in less than four minutes and hauled it away, according to officials.
“I’d kill them if I could,” Vietnam veteran Frank Walker told CBS on the unidentified perpetrators. “He needs to be drafted. He wouldn’t last very long.”
The statue depicted a kneeling soldier at a battle cross and was erected by the city of Paramount in 2024 to honor those who served.
It was located near American Legion Post 134, part of the largest veterans service organization in the country.
Video of the aftermath shows the statue’s empty base — with nothing left behind but a traffic cone.
Surveillance footage reportedly showed at least one person arriving in a dark vehicle and using tools to cut the statue loose before driving away with it, despite the thing weighing at least a couple hundred pounds, police told NBC Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the theft but said it will not release video of the suspects.
The stolen bronze is estimated to be worth around $100,000, police said.
The brazen theft has left military families and veterans outraged.
“We really need to support these vets, and it’s a kick in the stomach for somebody to steal a monument like that,” said Manuel Covarrubias, a member of American Legion Post 134 who said he visits the memorial regularly.
This is not the first time the statue became a target.
Last year, just before Memorial Day, thieves sawed the bronze rifle off the statue, causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage.
The city called the earlier theft “a disgrace.”
Now, the entire soldier is gone.
