Thieves steal more than half a dozen rifles from American Legion Post in Pomona

Thieves, vandals and burglars have targeted a local American Legion Post over and over again, stealing more than half a dozen rifles from the community center.

Javier Hinostroza picked his way around piles of boxes and smashed memorabilia inside the American Legion Post 30 in Pomona Thursday to reach the cabinet where the community center stored its nine ceremonial guns. 

"The weapons we had were M1 Garands. They were World War II-era style weapon," he said. 

A security camera captured at least one of the suspects that night jumping over the bar and then grabbing the camera. The Pomona Police Department is trying to identify that man. They detained eight people and cited six of them for burglary but did not recover the ceremonial rifles. 

Hinostroza, a Marine veteran, joined the Legion three years ago and says this has been just one of the many break-ins since last August. He said it's only worsened since then, and the nonprofit can't even use the building anymore.

"It's very unsafe," Hinostroza said. 

This week, thieves pulled off the siding, ripped off doors and tore out wiring, leaving the Legion's home for the past 50 years in the dark. 

"It was very hard to walk through after the damage that had been done here," Hinostroza said. "Seeing a lot of the historical items just ripped off the shelves and thrown on the floor like they meant nothing to anybody."

Pomona police said in 2023 they responded to eight incidents at the American Legion, five of which were burglaries. However, Hinostroza said those were just the ones they responded to and that there were many more. In the last two weeks, thieves ripped apart the copper piping. 

"It's the justice system for the city of Pomona. It's been a revolving door," Hinostroza said. "They've been removing the trespassers and police have told me that they're going to go right back onto the street."

Police said they are investigating and have increased patrols. 

Hinostroza has sunk his own money to fix up the building after every burglary, but now he says it has become too much.

"We're planning on selling the building. It's just nothing we can sustain at the moment," he said.