Local police and the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division are looking for three Humvees after they were stolen this week from an Army Reserve Center in Southern California.
Unidentified thieves broke into the Army Reserve Center’s storage warehouse in Tustin, California on Wednesday, Jan. 8, the Tustin Police Department announced Friday evening. . They broke several storage lockers and took the contents inside them before making off with three Humvees. One is armored, the other two are sporting cloth doors. The robbery happened between 8 p.m.-11:30 p.m.
“An attempt was made to cut a lock to uniform storage, however it was unsuccessful,” the Tustin Police Department said in its alert. “A fence was cut to gain access to a military vehicle parking lot where three Humvees were stolen. The suspects left the area at an unknown time.”
According to authorities, outside of the Humvees, the thieves made off with 40 binoculars, eight machine gun vehicle mounts, seven machine gun tripods and unspecified “medical equipment.” Although no firearms were taken in the theft, the thieves did take 18 bayonets along with the other military gear.
The Army Reserve Center in Tustin is located between two major freeways that run through Orange County, California. It’s unclear if the thieves fled the county with the cars or remained local.
This is the fourth time in the last five years that Humvees have been stolen from military sites in California. In 2021, someone stole one from the California National Guard in Bell, California and evaded capture for three days. An Army Reserve Center in Upland, California saw someone try to steal a Humvee in 2020 before being quickly apprehended. Just before the 4th of July in 2023, someone stole a California National Guard Humvee from Santa Rosa National Guard Armory. In the Santa Rosa case, the Humvee was allegedly sighted multiple times over the intervening months, with people in the greater Bay Area and Sonoma County calling law enforcement about it, but the vehicle was only recovered months later.
If these three Humvees are spotted, Tustin PD is asking that anyone who spots the three missing Humvees call them at 714-573-3225.
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