Three masked thieves rammed an SUV into the glass doors of the Wells Fargo History Museum in San Francisco, California Tuesday, holding a guard at gunpoint while they pilfered gold artifacts. Leaving the SUV behind, the smash and grabbers hopped into a getaway sedan and off into the night.
The estimated value of the stolen gold ranged between $10,000 and $12,950.
Wells Fargo spokesman Ruben Pulido told Breitbart California that the company is cooperating with the San Francisco Police Department’s investigation.
Pulido said, “We’re disturbed this happened to the Wells Fargo History Museum, but are grateful no team member was harmed. Additionally, the historic stagecoaches on site were not damaged. Rest assured, the museum will reopen, so it can continue to serve the thousands of visitors and Bay Area residents who visit it each year.”
A number of smash-and-grab-style robberies have arisen in the area in recent months, hitting a Patagonia clothing store in January and two designer handbag stores, Chanel and Prada, last November. Last May, a Berkeley Apple store faced the same type of break-in.
In a San Francisco Chronicle report, retired Wells Fargo Historian Robert Chandler expressed relief over the crooks’ neglect of more valuable artifacts.
Chandler told the Chronicle: “When we found out they smashed the gold scale case, I was so worried, but I’m relieved they didn’t take the scale itself.” Chandler said even the nuggets are worth possibly five times as much sold as artifacts rather than simply for their value as gold, but their sale as artifacts is unlikely due to alerts out looking for the items.
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