Los Angeles police found nearly $46,000 worth of metal stolen from city infrastructure such as streetlights during a search of a recycling center in the San Fernando Valley, authorities said.
According to authorities, police were conducting compliance checks at recycling centers last Friday when they discovered 4,202 pounds of stolen copper and aluminum at Tuxford Recycling in Sun Valley.
Over the past year, Los Angeles has seen a surge in the theft of copper, brass and other metals from streetlights, tombstones, fire hydrants and rail transit lines, among other locations.
In total, officers said they recovered the following:
- 290 pounds of street lighting wire valued at $2,000 received from the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting
- 290 pounds of street lighting wire valued at $10,000 received from the Los Angeles Department of Transportation
- A 256-pound brass plate valued at $10,000 was stolen from the city of Burbank.
- 3,366 pounds of copper and aluminum wire for $24,000 received from Caltrans
The owner of the recycling center, Bedros “Peter” Jamkochian, 56, was arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen property and will face criminal charges when he appears in court next month in San Fernando, authorities said.
It was unclear how he obtained the scrap metal or whether he planned to sell it; the Los Angeles police did not respond to The Times’ request for comment.
Police say the enforcement checks were conducted in cooperation with the office of Councilman Paul Krekorian, who represents parts of the San Fernando Valley. In early February, Krekorian blamed scrap yards and other buyers of stolen metal as the root of the theft problem.
Los Angeles police said they found streetlight cables among other stolen metal at Tuxford Recycling in Sun Valley.
(Los Angeles Police)
Last year, the city tried to curb the theft by pumping funds into a copper wire task force and offering a cash reward system for anyone who reports a crime involving the theft of metal from public infrastructure.
But not all board members agree the strategy is working. Board members Hugo Soto-Martinez and Eunice Hernandez instead asked that those funds be put toward maintenance and upgrades to solar and LED lights that don’t require copper wiring.
Meanwhile, residents struggled to live in the dark, including in Pico-Union, where street lights were out for months.
