Video shows thieves steal dozens of LEGO sets after breaking into Lomita store

LOMITA, Calif. (KABC) -- A string of burglaries has plagued a popular Lego store chain, with a total of seven Southern California locations targeted since mid-April.

Bricks & Minifigs stores, known for their extensive collections of Lego sets, have been hit by thieves in various cities, including Ontario, Riverside, Whittier, Irvine, Anaheim, Costa Mesa and most recently Lomita.

"We were kind of bracing ourselves for it," store owner Miguel Zuniga said. "All of our sister stores have been getting hit, so I told my guys 'It's not a matter of if we're going to get hit, it's a matter of when.' And the when came."

Zuniga said the incident occurred around 5 a.m. Tuesday. Surveillance video shows two thieves smashing the store's front window and running off with dozens of Lego sets, with an estimated worth of $5,000 to $7,000.

"There's at least over 15 sets that they took and the cheapest ones were $100, an average of over $200, $250 and $400 were the most expensive sets that they took," Zuniga said.

"I was actually crying because this is my local store, it's basically robbing from me," customer Lawrence Fleischer said.

This is the second break-in the store has had this year. But Zuniga says it's no surprise that the thieves are targeting the Lego store chain given their popularity as collector items and toys for people of all ages.

Sheriff's investigators aren't sure yet if the burglaries are all connected.

"It could be a correlation, it could be copycats at this point," Zuniga said.

Zuniga said despite everything that's happened, he's remaining positive and is grateful to have the support from the community.

"I've gone through so much just to be here, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to spread joy," Zuniga said.

Zuniga said deputies will be doing more patrols around the area, and he hopes the thieves will be caught soon before another store is targeted.