Residents and local veterans are angry after a bronze soldier statue from a military memorial in Paramount was stolen, marking the second time the memorial has been vandalized.
The Armed Forces Memorial was unveiled outside Paramount City Hall in 2024. It features a life-size bronze statue depicting a kneeling soldier in front of a battlefield cross made from a fallen soldier’s boots, rifle, helmet and ID tags.
On Aug. 19, authorities said surveillance video showed a suspect in a dark-colored vehicle arriving at the memorial around 2:15 a.m.
The person used a tool to completely remove the bronze soldier statue from the base before escaping in a getaway car. The entire theft took less than four minutes.
Vandals stole a bronze rifle from the Armed Forces Memorial in Paramount, California. May 2025. (KTLA)
The Armed Forces Memorial features a life-size bronze statue depicting a kneeling soldier in front of a battlefield cross made from a fallen soldier’s boots, rifle, helmet and ID tags. (paramountcity.gov)
Thieves stole a life-size bronze soldier statue from the Armed Forces Memorial in Paramount, Los Angeles County. (KTLA)
Suspects sawed off a bronze rifle that used to be a part of the Armed Forces Memorial in the city of Paramount. (KTLA)
The Armed Forces Memorial features a life-size bronze statue depicting a kneeling soldier in front of a battlefield cross made from a fallen soldier’s boots, rifle, helmet and ID tags. (KTLA)
The Armed Forces Memorial features a life-size bronze statue depicting a kneeling soldier in front of a battlefield cross made from a fallen soldier’s boots, rifle, helmet and ID tags. (KTLA)
Thieves stole a life-size bronze soldier statue from the Armed Forces Memorial in Paramount, Los Angeles County. (KTLA)
Thieves stole a life-size bronze soldier statue from the Armed Forces Memorial in Paramount, Los Angeles County. (KTLA)
“That [statue] means a lot to us,” said veteran Louis Macias. “Why would anybody want to take that?”
“I was sickened,” said Frank Walker, who was a hospital corpsman during the Vietnam War.
This incident marked the second time the sculptures were vandalized. In May 2025, shortly before Memorial Day, suspects sawed off the bronze rifle and caused other damage to the memorial.
Together, the missing soldier and rifle are worth an estimated $100,000.
The city later restored and reinforced the area by adding better lighting and security cameras, however, that didn’t appear to deter thieves from targeting the bronze sculptures yet again.
Residents and community members were frustrated to hear of the memorial being targeted again.
Thieves stole a life-size bronze soldier statue from the Armed Forces Memorial in Paramount, Los Angeles County. (KTLA)
“It hurts the morale for all of the veterans who have been around in the city of Paramount,” said Navy veteran Andreas Cervantes.
Authorities were unable to provide a suspect description due to poor video quality from nearby surveillance cameras.
Cervantes said he would like to see the suspects do the right thing and return the stolen statue and rifle.
Paramount city officials said the memorial’s desecration 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.”
Anyone with information on the theft is encouraged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department at 213-229-1700.
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