Los Angeles police searching a recycling center in the San Fernando Valley recovered about $46,000 worth of metal stolen from city infrastructure such as streetlights, 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 thefts of copper, brass and other metals from streetlights, tombstones, fire hydrants and railroad lines, among other locations.
In total, officers said they recovered the following:
- 290 pounds of street lighting wire worth $2,000 were stolen from the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting
- 290 pounds of street lighting cable worth $10,000 seized from Los Angeles Department of Transportation
- 256-pound bronze plaque worth $10,000 stolen from Burbank city
- Caltrans stole 3,366 pounds of copper and aluminum wire worth $24,000
The owner of the recycling center, Bedros “Peter” Zhamkochian, 56, was arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen property and will face felony charges next month when he appears in San Fernando County Court, authorities say.
It was unclear how he obtained the scrap metal or whether he planned to resell it; the LAPD did not respond to The Times' request for comment.
Police say the enforcement checks were conducted in collaboration with the office of City Councilman Paul Krekorian, who represents parts of the San Fernando Valley. In early February, Krekorian blamed scrap yards and other buyers of stolen metal for being the source 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)
Over the past year, the city has made an effort to curb theft by allocating more funding to a copper cable task force and proposing a cash reward system for anyone who reports a crime involving the theft of metal from public infrastructure.
But not all council members agree that the strategy is working. Council members Hugo Soto-Martinez and Eunisses Hernandez have asked that those funds be put toward maintaining and upgrading solar and LED lights, which do not require copper wiring.
Meanwhile, residents have struggled to live in the dark, including in Pico-Union, where street lights have been off for months.
