The FBI safely recovered a $120,000 armored military Humvee yesterday which was stolen from a National Guard facility in Los Angeles.
The vehicle was found in the southeastern part of Los Angeles, according to a tweet from the FBI. It is unclear whether it had sustained any damage.
The stolen Humvee was modified and upgraded and is considered to be a combat vehicle.
Further Investigation
The theft had occurred five days earlier according to FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller. Found under an overpass, the vehicle was recovered in the vicinity of Bandini Boulevard and South Downey Road in Vernon, early on Wednesday morning.
The FBI offered a $10,000 reward to anyone who could aid in its recovery. The agency responded to a tip called in to its command center during the night which, according to Eimiller, “led them right to it.” The vehicle was found less than five miles from the National Guard Armory where it was taken.
The theft could carry a sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
Some have voiced their surprise that a camouflage military vehicle could be stolen from a military facility and not found for such an extended period of time.
Humvee
The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, colloquially known as a Humvee, is a general term for lightweight utility vehicles used by the military for transport of goods and personnel. Highly customizable, Humvees can be made to function in multiple types of terrain.
First seen in combat during the US invasion of Panama in 1989, the US Army has deployed the iconic off-road vehicle in multiple conflicts. A regular feature in a variety of battlefield operations around the world, the 21st-century successor to the legendary Jeep was deployed to Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks and later to Iraq’s combat zone.
Despite claims by some that the Humvee is now obsolete, it continues to be in use by the US military.