Detectives with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Major Crimes Bureau are working to track down at least one person suspected of stealing a bronze memorial statue outside Paramount City Hall.
Deputies responded late Wednesday morning after a city employee reported the bronze statue depicting a kneeling soldier and a separate bronze rifle had been stolen hours earlier.
According to the LASD, surveillance video obtained during the investigation shows a dark-colored vehicle parked near the memorial at around 2:15 a.m. Wednesday. The suspected thief could be seen exiting the vehicle and using a tool to remove the statue before getting back in the vehicle and leaving, the sheriff’s department said.
Investigators were unable to obtain additional descriptions about either the suspect or vehicle due to the poor quality of video.
The combined value of the stolen statue and rifle is estimated at approximately $100,000, the LASD said.
The memorial, installed in November 2024, is no stranger to crime.
Pieces of the memorial statue were vandalized and stolen in May 2025, days before planned Memorial Day celebrations in the city. In that instance, someone sawed off parts of a statue, causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage.
City officials said in a May 2025 social media post that they were “deeply saddened and troubled,” referring to the previous incident, adding, “this is a shameful act of disrespect to those who risked their lives protecting our country and freedoms, as this memorial stands as a symbol of honor and their sacrifice.”
A spokesperson for the city said additional information about this week’s theft is expected to be released in the coming days.