Last Updated on January 11, 2025
According to a statement from the Tustin Police Department (TPD) in Tustin, CA, a group of thieves managed to steal a significant amount of military equipment right from under the nose of both police and the U.S. Army.
“On Wednesday, January 8, 2025, between 8pm and 1130pm, unidentified individuals broke into a storage warehouse at the Army Reserve Center in Tustin,” as reported by TPD. “Upon inspection, it was found that multiple storage lockers had their locks removed, and various equipment was missing. An unsuccessful attempt was made to break into a locked uniform storage area. In addition, a fence was cut to gain entry to a military vehicle parking lot from where three Humvees were stolen. The suspects departed the scene at an unknown time.”
Here is a full list of the stolen items:
- One armored Humvee Model: M1151A1, ADMIN: HHC-06
- Two cloth-door Humvee Model: M1097s, ADMIN: HQ-61 and HQ-81
- Eight machine gun vehicle mounts
- Seven free-standing machine gun tripods
- Medical equipment
- 40 pairs of binoculars
- 18 bayonets
According to the Army, the thieves did steal firearms or ammunition.
Anyone who sees the Humvees cruising the streets is asked to call TPD.
Tustin, situated in Orange County, CA, lies just southeast of Los Angeles, a region recently affected by deadly wildfires that have claimed the lives of at least 10 individuals and caused immense property damage in some of the city’s most affluent neighborhoods.
This is the second instance of a Humvee being stolen from the National Guard in California in less than a year.
On July 3 of last year, a Humvee was stolen from the National Guard Armory in Santa Rosa, according to the California Highway Patrol (CHP).
That vehicle was recovered from a transient man named Anthony Stabile by CHP in November after a high speed chase. Stabile had fired a weapon at an unoccupied utility truck, sparking the chase.
Upon his arrest, Stabile was booked into jail on two outstanding misdemeanor warrants, driving on a suspended license, driving without an interlock device, and the following felonies: loaded firearm in public, shooting at an unoccupied vehicle, firing a gun from a vehicle, vandalism, unlawful possession of a gun, a loaded unregistered gun, vehicle theft, possession of a stolen vehicle, and evading.
Just last week, the Army issued a $10,000 reward for the recovery of scores of Humvee doors that have been stolen from Fort Liberty, formerly Fort Bragg, in North Carolina since October.
