MONTCLAIR, California — Thieves stole about 34,000 cans of beer worth $70,000 in two separate warehouse heists on the same day in Southern California, police said Friday as investigators examined whether the thefts were connected.
The thefts occurred Aug. 17 at an Anheuser-Busch distribution center in Montclair, about 65 kilometers east of Los Angeles.
Police said the first shipment, valued at about $45,000, contained beer bound for Tucson, Arizona. A person picked up the shipment, but the cargo never reached its destination.
About an hour later, a person claiming to represent a subcontracting company presented fraudulent documents and collected another shipment worth about $25,000, according to police.
A police report obtained by the Los Angeles Times said the stolen cargo included about 1,500 cases of Pabst Blue Ribbon and non-alcoholic Old Milwaukee beer.
Montclair police said investigators are determining whether the two thefts formed part of a single operation.
Pabst Blue Ribbon responded to the thefts with a social media campaign urging the beer to be returned.
The company said on Instagram that the stolen cargo weighed about 18,145 kilograms and addressed the suspected thief directly.
Pabst acknowledged the humorous angle of the theft while stressing that the incident was real.
Police have not announced any arrests or identified suspects in connection with the heists.