North Hollywood family asking suspects to return stolen work van

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A search is underway for a pair of grand theft auto suspects after police say they stole a man's work van in North Hollywood.

Luis Rivas and his daughter, Susana Rivas Monroy, were standing where his work van was parked until someone stole it early Sunday.

It's a Coca-Cola company van, which had Rivas' own tools inside. They're tools he uses to do his job servicing vending machines and coolers.

"All of the things that we get, we get because we work very, very hard for them, so it's super frustrating that someone would just come and invade our personal space to begin with and take something that doesn't belong to them," said Monroy.

The Rivas' surveillance cameras captured a pick-up truck pull up across the street at about 5 a.m. One man walks over to two parked trucks, while the other waits inside and tries to break into both trucks. When he doesn't succeed, he tries the van.

Another camera angle shows the van driving away, followed by the man in the pick-up.

"I was talking to my wife and she said, 'Lucky you didn't go out because we don't know if they have guns or what,'" Rivas said.

Rivas had just finished replacing his tools that were stolen out of the van in December, costing him a few thousand dollars, only to be in the same bind again. Rivas is trying to remain optimistic, however. He said a co-worker's van was stolen in Sherman Oaks and located.

Rivas will get a ride to work on Monday, but as for his tools, his daughter hopes those will be recovered along with the van.

"Give back his tools, you know, he's worked very hard to purchase them, to get them, and he deserves to be able to work with them," she pleaded. "So, please return them."