Police in North Vancouver are still on the hunt for a14-tonne excavator that went missing from a construction site last week.
Sometime between 5:30 and 6:30 a.m. Thursday, investigators believe someone broke into the gated site at 1172 West 15th St., loaded the John Deere 135D onto a flatbed trailer parked at a nearby corner and drove off, according to North Vancouver RCMP.
The machine is valued at $178,000.
This is the second North Shore excavator theft in recent months, but detachment spokesman Sgt. Peter DeVries said there is no indication this is the start of a trend.
Heavy equipment theft usually involves a lot of planning and multiple people working together, said DeVries, adding there is often a buyer awaiting delivery of the vehicle somewhere in the North or outside B.C.s borders.
DeVries could not say if the RCMP have any suspects in the crime.
Investigators say it is likely there are witnesses who saw the excavator being loaded onto the trailer without knowing that it was being stolen. They are asking the public and members of the construction industry to keep an eye out for the machine being transported or at work on job sites.
Anyone with information is asked to call the North Vancouver RCMP at 604-985-1311. The excavator can be identified by its vehicle identification number 1FF135DXLED302842.
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