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MIRA COSTA, Calif. (KTLA) -- Police say thieves stole four tubas from a storage closet at Mira Costa High School, the latest incident in a series of musical instrument thefts at Southern California schools.
The King sousaphone tubas are valued at $5,000 each, the Manhattan Beach Police Department said.
They were taken from a closet in the school's band hall.
A teacher discovered that the instruments were missing on Tuesday morning, the first day classes were back in session after winter break.
Police say the suspects were captured on surveillance video, but they wore hoods to hide their faces.
The tubas have serial numbers that could help police track the instruments down.
Since the beginning of the school year, tubas have been stolen from several schools.
Five tubas were taken from South Gate High school in two burglaries during the fall semester.
Eight were stolen from Centennial High School in Compton in a burglary in October, and two were taken in a pair of robberies at Huntington Park High School.
On Dec. 22, $25,000 worth of musical instruments, including tubas, trumpets and drums, were stolen from the band room at Sycamore High in Anaheim.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the tubas are being sold on the black market, spurred by the popularity of "banda" music.
Banda is traditional Mexican dance music. It is played with marching band instruments, including trumpets, clarinets and trombones, and is anchored by the tuba.
The King sousaphone tubas are valued at $5,000 each, the Manhattan Beach Police Department said.
They were taken from a closet in the school's band hall.
A teacher discovered that the instruments were missing on Tuesday morning, the first day classes were back in session after winter break.
Police say the suspects were captured on surveillance video, but they wore hoods to hide their faces.
The tubas have serial numbers that could help police track the instruments down.
Since the beginning of the school year, tubas have been stolen from several schools.
Five tubas were taken from South Gate High school in two burglaries during the fall semester.
Eight were stolen from Centennial High School in Compton in a burglary in October, and two were taken in a pair of robberies at Huntington Park High School.
On Dec. 22, $25,000 worth of musical instruments, including tubas, trumpets and drums, were stolen from the band room at Sycamore High in Anaheim.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the tubas are being sold on the black market, spurred by the popularity of "banda" music.
Banda is traditional Mexican dance music. It is played with marching band instruments, including trumpets, clarinets and trombones, and is anchored by the tuba.
