http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/03/hijacked-big-ri.html
Big rig hijacked on 605 Freeway
9:17 AM | March 4, 2009
Authorities were searching this morning for three men who forced a big rig to the right shoulder of the 605 Freeway in Whittier early this morning, then tied the driver's legs and fled with his cargo.
Officers with the California Highway Patrol found the man about 1 a.m. on the right shoulder of the freeway, near the Whittier Boulevard exit, after several drivers reported seeing a man with bound legs limping on the side of the road, CHP Officer Alfredo Perez said.
The driver told officers that he was heading northbound on the 605 Freeway when another big rig pulled to the left of his truck and another carrying a green shipping container pulled in front of him and slowed down, forcing him to pull over to the right shoulder. The assailants forced the driver out of his cab and told him that they were going to take his cargo, Perez said.
"They tied him with plastic cuffs on his ankles and took his truck," Perez said, adding that the driver suffered scrapes to his ankles and stomach.
Authorities later discovered the driver's white big rig at 4139 San Gabriel River Parkway, a mile from the incident, but the cargo, which contained energy-efficient lamps, was missing, Perez said. Authorities were asking for the public's help to locate the cargo. The green shipping container had the words "China Shipping" written on both sides.
"This is very unique, it's the first time that I've heard of such an incident," Perez said. "It appeared to be well orchestrated."
Anyone with information is asked to call (800) TELL-CHP.
<http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-cargo-theft17-2009feb17,0,6385779.story>http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-cargo-theft17-2009feb17,0,6385779.story
From the Los Angeles Times
Armed men steal $650,000 worth of cargo in Harbor Gateway
The group raided a company and stole three shipping containers loaded with TVs and DVD players in a heist authorities suspect may be the latest in a string of thefts by the same group.
By Victoria Kim
February 17, 2009
A group of armed men raided a Harbor Gateway company and stole three shipping containers in a heist authorities suspect may be the latest in a string of cargo thefts by the same group in the Southland, police said Monday.
At least five men subdued a security guard at a logistics company in the 1500 block of Francisco Street about 8 p.m. Sunday, leaving the guard tied and lying face down on the ground, said Officer Julie Sohn of the Los Angeles Police Department.
The cargo contained about $650,000 worth of TVs and DVD players, said Det. Yvette Moreno of the LAPD's Commercial Crimes Division.
Moreno said the raid appeared to have been carefully planned, unlike typical cargo thefts, and may be related to about eight similar heists that have occurred in the past six months in different ports around Southern California.
Two of the men, armed with handguns, entered the warehouse through a rear door and the rest drove in through the front with semitrailer trucks, officials said. When a security guard tried to stop the vehicles from entering, the two armed men attacked the guard, Sohn said.
"It's so orchestrated you know that they're all communicating with each other," Moreno said. The LAPD is cooperating with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and the California Highway Patrol to investigate the crimes, she said.
The men were driving a light-blue truck with a sleeper cab and two white trucks without sleeper cabs with "GSC" written on the door, Moreno said. Anyone with information was asked to call (877) LAPD-24-7 or the Commercial Crimes Division at (213) 485-2507.