West Hollywood

Buddha statue worth $1.5M stolen from art gallery near West Hollywood

NBC Universal, Inc.

Los Angeles police are continuing their search for clues about the theft of a nearly 250-pound Buddha statue, worth approximately $1.5 million, that was stolen from a gallery near West Hollywood.

Officers responded shortly before 10:30 a.m. Monday to the Barakat Gallery in the 900 block of North La Cienega Boulevard, between Melrose Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard, regarding a burglary, authorities said.

The statue from Japan's Edo Period of 1603-1867 was stolen around 3:45 a.m. Monday, according to surveillance footage.

The thief broke into the entrance through a driveway gate and used a dolly to move the statue onto a truck within 25 minutes, officials said.

In addition to the Los Angeles location, Barakat also has galleries in London and Seoul.

Anyone with information about the stolen sculpture was urged to contact the Los Angeles Police Department at 1-877-275-5273.

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