Three people have been arrested in connection with several bronze plaques stolen in the city’s Harbor area as well as throughout greater Los Angeles, authorities announced Wednesday.
At the Port of Los Angeles, three bronze memorial plaques, including the American Merchant Marine Memorial, the International Warehouse and Longshore Union “Bloody Thursday” Memorial along Harbor Boulevard in San Pedro, and the Japanese Fishing Village Memorial on Terminal Island.
The three suspects were arrested in Southwest Los Angeles during a traffic stop, according to a news release from the Los Angeles Port Police.
“This disturbing series of thefts has had a significant emotional toll on members of our community whose loved ones were memorialized both in the maritime and fishing industry,” said Los Angeles Port Police Chief Tom Gazsi. “Additionally, we have found evidence linking the suspects to thefts of grave markers of community members that were lovingly interned at cemeteries in the region.