Film Equipment Stolen From School

About $25,000 worth of film production equipment was stolen from Pacoima Middle School, officials said Tuesday.

A state-of-the-art sound mixer and two film cameras were stolen Monday night from three of the four classrooms used by the school’s Television, Theater and Fine Arts Magnet students, said Jim Gleason, who heads the school’s film program.

The cameras were mounted on tripods, but the mixer was torn out of the wall, he said.

There was no evidence of a break-in, but construction to add computer lines throughout the campus may have meant classrooms were open after hours, he said.

“A lot of people have been going through the building who normally don’t,” Gleason said.

Assistant Principal Aaron Moretzsky said Los Angeles Unified School District police are investigating.

Over the years, the school’s film students have won several state, national and international awards for their productions, and dozens have gone on to work in film and television production, Gleason said.