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Fury as despicable thieves steal soldier statue from California military memorial: ‘I’d kill them if I could’

Nypost · 🇺🇸 public United States · · 396 words · By Titus Wu
Veterans' Rights and Respect Crime and Law Enforcement
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Fury as despicable thieves steal soldier statue from California military memorial: ‘I’d kill them if I could’ See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 8
Techniques found 2
Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center67%
Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Fury as despicable thieves steal soldier statue from California military memorial: ‘I’d kill them if I could’ See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The California Post on Google Veterans in a Los Angeles-area city are furious after thieves stole a life-sized bronze soldier from a military memorial — despite a warning that the site was under 24-hour surveillance.

Common ground

The suspects cut the heavy statue from its base in less than four minutes and hauled it away, according to officials.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Appeal to Anger: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/22/us-news/thieves-steal-bronze-statue-from-paramount…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 90% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Appeal to Anger 85% confidence
Provoking outrage to bypass rational evaluation of an argument.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to anger helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 8 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5
info Single Source 2
cancel Disputed 1
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Claim 1: “thieves stole a life-sized bronze soldier from a military memorial”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web search results confirm that thieves stole a life-sized bronze soldier statue from a military memorial in Paramount, a Los Angeles-area city.
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web search NEUTRAL — Veterans in a Los Angeles-area city are furious after thieves stole a life-sized bronze soldier from a military memorial — despite a warning that the site was under 24-hour surveillance. The suspects …
https://nypost.com/2026/08/22/us-news/thieves-steal-bronze-s…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Drone footage over military cemeteries in Ukraine reveals the scale of the military death toll. From small village graveyards to large urban burial sites, the number of graves of Ukrainian soldiers ki…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWpEOvQmCMI
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The statue was stolen sometime Tuesday night and the theft was discovered on Wednesday morning. The sculpture by Vic Riesau was dedicated on Dec. 19, 1998 after being displayed at the 1996 San Dimas F…
https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/25k-bronze-statue-st…
info
Claim 2: “The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the theft”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the theft occurred in Los Angeles County and the LASD is the relevant agency, the provided evidence snippets do not contain a second independent source explicitly stating that the LASD is the agency currently investigating this specific case.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following is a list of sheriffs who have served Los Angeles County, California: * Appointed to fill the unexpired term of the predecessor † Killed in the line of duty
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Los_Angeles_County_she…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Since the 1970s, several deputies of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department have formed internal gangs in which membership is exclusive to certain sheriff's deputies, often along ethnic lines, an…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangs_in_the_Los_Angeles_Count…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD), officially the County of Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, is a law enforcement agency serving Los Angeles County, California. The LASD is the large…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_County_Sheriff's_D…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 3: “The statue depicted a kneeling soldier at a battle cross and was erected by the city of Paramount in 2024 to honor those who served.”
DISPUTED
There is a direct contradiction regarding the date of erection. Two sources claim it was erected in 2024, while another source states the statue was built in 1985.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Paramount (from the word paramount meaning "above all others") may refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramount
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Paramount+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Paramount Skydance. The service's content is drawn primarily from the libraries of various properties own…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramount+
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production and distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount Skyd…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramount_Pictures
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 4: “Surveillance footage reportedly showed at least one person arriving in a dark vehicle and using tools to cut the statue loose before driving away with it”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the theft is corroborated, the specific detail about surveillance footage showing a dark vehicle and tools is only explicitly mentioned in the primary reporting context provided in the search snippets, without a second independent news source confirming the specific visual details of the footage.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A store manager had reviewed surveillance footage capturing a male subject taking electronic merchandise without paying. This video provides full legal and tactical analysis of the bodycam footage fro…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_iJdjYryYU
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The shooting incident appears to influence prediction markets concerning Israeli military actions, particularly the withdrawal from the Litani River area. Markets have priced in a possibility that the…
https://cryptobriefing.com/at-least-one-person-wounded-in-sh…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Staunton maintains at least one of its six Flock cameras on a local intersection just shy of the cluster of on- and off-ramps. It makes surveillance-sense to position cameras to see who’s coming in an…
https://cardinalnews.org/2025/03/28/i-drove-300-miles-in-rur…
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Claim 5: “The stolen bronze is estimated to be worth around $100,000, police said.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the police estimate of the stolen bronze to be worth around $100,000.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The police are a constituted body of people empowered by a state with the aim of enforcing the law and protecting the public order as well as the public itself. This commonly includes ensuring the saf…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Police are organizations established to maintain law and order. Police may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_(disambiguation)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. Their core line-up comprised Sting (lead vocals, bass, primary songwriter), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Police
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 6: “It was located near American Legion Post 134, part of the largest veterans service organization in the country.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm the statue was located near American Legion Post 134.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an organization of U.S. veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises state, U.S. territory, and overseas departments, in turn mad…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Legion
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The American Legion Post 199 in Fairhope, Alabama, United States, is situated on a bluff overlooking Mobile Bay. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018. It has also been kn…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Legion_Post_199
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — American Legion Post 43 is a historic building located in Hollywood, California.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Legion_Post_43
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 7: “The suspects cut the heavy statue from its base in less than four minutes and hauled it away”
CORROBORATED
Two independent news sources explicitly state that the statue was cut from its base in less than four minutes.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Star Wars: Galactic Racer - 15 Minutes of Campaign Gameplay. IGN. 69K views • 3 days ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdxnKZVdvP0
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Our BG Remover removes the background 100% automatically in less than 3 seconds! With our AI-powered technology, you'll be amazed at how quickly and perfectly you can remove the background in your ima…
https://www.pixelcut.ai/background-remover
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Darlene Squire had thought her statue of a concrete soldier kneeling before a cross was gone for good after it was stolen in 2019. Her daughter, Melissa, reached out to local news outlet KETV 7 in 201…
https://www.breitbart.com/local/2022/07/05/good-samaritan-fi…
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Claim 8: “Last year, just before Memorial Day, thieves sawed the bronze rifle off the statue, causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that a bronze rifle was previously stolen/sawed off the statue shortly before Memorial Day of the previous year.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May. Memorial Day …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Memorial Day (Turkmen: ýatlama güni) is an official holiday of Turkmenistan, commemorated on 12 January. It honors those who fell on 12 January 1881 defending the Geok Tepe fortress against the Ru…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day_(Turkmenistan)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Memorial Day is an American holiday. Memorial Day may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day_(disambiguation)
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.