More than 1,000 historic artifacts stolen in California museum heist

Thieves stole more than 1,000 historic artifacts from a California museum earlier this month, according to the Oakland Police Department.

The heist occurred just before 3:30 a.m. Oct. 15 at the Oakland Museum of California’s off-site storage facility, the police department said in a statement Wednesday.
"The suspect(s) broke into the facility and stole more than 1,000 items from the Museum’s collection, including Native American baskets, jewelry, laptops, and other historic artifacts," it wrote, sharing photos of some stolen items.

It is investigating the burglary with the FBI, the police department told reporters Wednesday.

"The theft that occurred represents a brazen act that robs the public of our state’s cultural heritage," said Lori Fogarty, the museum's executive director and CEO. "Most of these objects have been given to the museum by generous donors."

Authorities have not announced any arrests and have not disclosed the estimated value of the stolen artifacts.