The issue of copper theft continues to trouble residents in Los Angeles.
In Van Nuys, thieves have targeted internet cables, disrupting service and leaving neighborhoods dark.
Surveillance footage captured the moment two individuals—one without a shirt and wearing a mask, the other in a hoodie—pulled copper wire from an underground access point. The incident took place around 3 a.m. near Hazeltine Avenue and Sherman Way.
“When I woke up, there was this loud clanging noise,” shared Candace Cervantes, who recorded the event. “It was such a racket that I thought, wait a minute, is someone stealing copper right here?”
One suspect appeared to serve as a lookout while the other extracted the wire from below. “He even tied a long black cable to his car,” Cervantes noted. “They were clearly trying to haul away as much as possible.”
She expressed frustration with the police response, noting it felt slow. “It took them over an hour to get here. By 4 a.m., they were done and left.”
The rise in copper theft in Los Angeles is linked to the material’s escalating value. Thieves typically try to sell the stolen wire at scrap yards. There are even reports of criminals stealing copper from local Little League fields.
Some areas remain in the dark as thieves repeatedly strike. Employees from AT&T informed that additional workers from Northern California are being dispatched to restore services. “They haven’t had service for four or five months, yes,” one employee mentioned.
Mayor Karen Bass has suggested that installing solar-powered streetlights might deter thieves from stealing copper wire.
Cervantes articulated her frustration, saying, “It’s just endlessly frustrating. They never seem to improve the situation.”
