Photo Shows Pair Sought in Gold Heist

Los Angeles police detectives released videotape photographs on Friday that showed two men wanted for questioning in connection with the daring daylight theft of more than $1 million in gold from a chain wholesaler in the downtown jewelry district.

Police Lt. Robert E. Kurth emphasized that the two men shown in the fuzzy videotape footage are not necessarily suspects in Wednesday’s robbery of the Rope Mine Jewelry Corp. at 610 S. Broadway.

“I really need to stress that the images in the video may well be two downtown businessmen,” said Kurth, head of detectives at LAPD’s Central Division. “I just need to talk to them to eliminate them (as suspects). . . . They may have information that would help me solve this robbery.”

Kurth said the two shop owners and their five employees were not able to positively identify either man pictured as the bandits clad in sport coats who robbed them shortly after 8 a.m.

The theft of more than 100 pounds of gold dust, gold bars and gold chains was one of the biggest heists ever in the nation’s second-largest jewelry district. On Friday, Lloyd’s of London offered a $75,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the robbery, as well as the recovery of the gold, said Harold Smith, president of Smith International Adjusters Inc. and representative for Lloyd’s in this case.