U.S. Marines operate a Humvee as part of a training exercise at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, Feb. 28, 2024. (Alfonso Livrieri/U.S. Marine Corps)
Three Humvees and other military equipment were stolen from an Army Reserve center near Santa Ana, Calif., Wednesday, as wildfires devastated parts of Los Angeles County.
The Tustin Police Department reported on Facebook that the theft at the U.S. Army Reserve Center occurred between 8 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. The thieves cut through a fence at the lot where the vehicles were parked and attempted, unsuccessfully, to access a uniform storage facility.
The stolen items include three Humvees, machine gun vehicle mounts, free-standing machine gun tripods, medical equipment, binoculars and bayonets. The Army informed police that no additional weapons were missing.
As of Saturday, two of the Humvees were recovered in Santa Ana and Orange. However, one armored Humvee and the rest of the stolen equipment remain missing. Authorities believe multiple suspects were involved.
Meanwhile, California wildfires that have been burning since Tuesday have claimed 16 lives. More than 600 California National Guard troops have been activated, and eight modular airborne firefighting systems are preparing to assist, the Pentagon said.
