Three bronze markers have been pried off the graves of U.S. military veterans at Pacific Crest Cemetery in Redondo Beach, authorities said Friday.
Police sought the public’s help in catching the thief or thieves who apparently broke into the gated cemetery Thursday evening. An employee discovered the crime Friday and reported it to police.
The names on the 12-by-18-inch markers were not released.
Redondo Beach Police Sgt. Rody Contreras said that the cemetery, located near the South Bay Galleria, is fenced and its gates locked at night but that occasionally trespassers hop a fence near the railroad tracks.
Metal theft has plagued Southern California in recent years, mushrooming as prices for bronze and copper have soared.
Police asked anyone with information on the theft to call the Redondo Beach detective bureau at (310) 379-2477, Ext. 2714.
— Jill Leovy