Thieves Steal As Much As $50,000 In Equipment From Drone Business

WESTLAKE VILLAGE (CBSLA.com) — Security cameras were operating when thieves broke into a business that sells high tech drones and related equipment last week.

An employee of Dronefly.com told KCAL9's Bobby Kaple on Saturday that drones and camera equipment worth nearly $50,000 were stolen during the break-in.

"They broke the glass on the front door, completely shattered it," said William Sloane. "Threw a brick through it."

At one point on the video you can hear one of the two men yelling out what sounds like the name "Paul" as he continues to grab drone after drone, throwing them out of the building's front door.

Sloane said among the big ticket items the men got away with was an Inspire 1 drone, which has a mounted, stabilized camera, and was just released.

"That's just the starting point," Sloane said. "They stole 10 to 12 of them as well as all the other gear that gets installed, so we're looking at around $40 (thousand), $50,000 worth of equipment, as well as our camera stuff."

In addition, Sloane said there is security camera footage of the alleged thieves casing the building prior to the break-in.

The drones that were stolen may be hard to track because some are mass produced, he said, but the company does have insurance.

Kaple reported that in addition to security cameras, Dronefly officials told him they are bringing in 24-hour patrols. The Ventura County Sheriff's Department is investigating the burglary.