LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – Surveillance video captured thieves breaking into a Los Angeles wine shop and escaping with over $700,000 worth of rare wines over the weekend.
Nazmul Haque Helal, the owner of Lincoln Fine Wines, said the heist took place around 1 a.m. on Saturday morning.
Security video captured the thieves arriving in a white pickup truck. The truck had driven around the back parking lot several times before a masked suspect was seen exiting and walking toward the shop.
The hole cut by thieves breaking into a wine shop and escaping with over $700,000 worth of rare wines on July 1, 2023. (Lincoln Fine Wines) 
Surveillance video captures thieves breaking into a wine shop and escaping with over $700,000 worth of rare wines on July 1, 2023. (Lincoln Fine Wines) 
Surveillance video captures thieves breaking into a wine shop and escaping with over $700,000 worth of rare wines on July 1, 2023. (Lincoln Fine Wines)
The suspect quickly climbed on top of a metal container while holding what appeared to be a large knife or sharp metal tool.
Helal said the thief proceeded to cut a hole in the ceiling above the shop’s cellar, where their most prized and expensive wines were stored.
The thief then scaled down into the cellar using a rock-climbing rope before covering indoor security cameras and cutting off external lights.
“They cleaned it out,” said Helal. “They took everything, so we don’t have anything left in the Burgundy and Bordeaux side.”
The stolen wines mainly consisted of selections from France and Italy, and included about $700,000 to $800,000 worth of blue-chip wines.
Helal is releasing the surveillance video in hopes the suspects will be caught before striking another business.
He also plans to send a list of missing wines to local stores and auction houses so they can be on the lookout for any suspicious large lots of wine that may show up.
A representative for the Los Angeles Police Department was not immediately available to comment on the status of the case.
