Metal Thieves Lift 7-Foot Statue

Los Angeles police said the soaring prices of bronze, brass and copper are behind a rash of metal artwork thefts, including a 7-foot-tall statue.

The latest incident involves the 7-foot bronze statue of a California gold miner that stood in a small park in Mid-City for 80 years, The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.

Authorities suspect the thieves who lifted the statue have sold it for scrap.

Late in January, thieves used a cutting torch to remove a 6-foot-tall bronze sculpture from its concrete stand in front of a business in Brea, Calif. It was the third theft of a statue in Brea in nine months.

Along with art, fire hydrants, commercial plumbing fittings and catalytic converters in trucks have gone missing.

In Anaheim, Calif., DBW Metals Recycling has helped authorities arrest at least 18 people who were attempting to sell metal suspected of being stolen.

Stewart Shirk, DBW general manager, told the Times most of the stolen metal gets shipped to China or India where it is melted down and re-fabricated.