$1.5M Buddha statue stolen from art gallery near West Hollywood
A nearly 250-pound Buddha statue worth approximately $1.5 million was stolen from a gallery near West Hollywood, according to a report broadcast today.
Los Angeles Police Department officers responded to the Barakat Gallery in the 900 block of North La Cienega Boulevard, between Melrose Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard, shortly before 10:30 a.m. Monday regarding a burglary, police said.
The statue from Japan's Edo Period -- 1603-1867 -- was stolen around 3:45 a.m. Monday, according to surveillance footage, KTLA reported.
"I prize it so much," gallery owner Fayez Barakat told KTLA. "I had at in the backyard of my home, and when I moved into this gallery, I put it in the backyard of the gallery for everybody to admire and enjoy"
The suspect broke the entrance through a driveway gate and used a dolly to move the statue onto a truck within 25 minutes, according to KTLA.
"This gentleman came and, I think, strapped a rope or a chain around that piece and pulled it to his rental van and put it in the back,'' Barakat told KTLA.
Barakat said he was heartbroken by the theft.
"I hope that the person who stole it is not stealing it for the weight of bronze because it's a historical item," Barakat said. "Whoever stole it, maybe that person understood the value. Probably, they commissioned somebody, a thief of some kind, to just go ahead and steal it."
No arrest has been made, according to police.
