$2 Million Worth of Gold and Gems Stolen from Calif. Museum

$2 Million Worth of Gold and Gems Stolen from Calif. Museum

California investigators are in pursuit of several criminals who ransacked a jewelry museum worth $2 million in precious gems and gold. The robbery happened in broad daylight in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

Police said that although the robbers were able to steal precious treasures, they weren’t able to seize the nearly 14-pound Fricot Nugget, a giant crystalline gold found during the Gold Rush era.

During their attempt to get massive nugget, the alarm was triggered and alerted authorities who swarmed the museum

Witnesses were able to identify at least two robbers wearing hoods who threatened workers during the heist at the California Mining and Minerals Museum in California. No suspects were caught.

The two museum employees who were onsite during the crime were not injured, but they remained shaken from the experience, the California Department of Parks and Recreation, which operates the facility, said in a news release.

Officials have closed the museum while they repair display cases damaged in the incident. Meanwhile, the parks department was busy conducting an inventory of the stolen items.

Authorities said the unique pieces taken would be easily identified, which could make it difficult for the robbers to sell them. "It is uncommon for most citizens to possess such minerals," the CHP said in a statement.

Posted by Melanie Mendoza on Friday October 05 2012, 1:54 AM EST. Ref: Google. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Nation. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0