Over $600,000 in 'irreplaceable' wine stolen during 4-hour 'Ocean's Eleven' heist at high-end store in California

California thieves pulled off a heist of over $600,00 in fine wines that is being compared to the movie "Ocean's Eleven."

Around 12:30 a.m. on Friday, a thief started robbing Lincoln Fine Wines in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Venice. To gain access to the high-end wine and liquor store, the thief cut a hole in the building's roof. The thief then used a rope to descend into Lincoln Fine Wines. The thief put socks on some of the security cameras for cover.

Lincoln Fine Wines owner Nazmul Haque said, "I used to always think they can break in the door and windows. Now, they come through the walls, they come through the roof. You never know."

"We have cameras all around the interior, many cameras," Haque told the Santa Monica Daily Press. "I'm a simple businessman, I do not think like a criminal. I would never have imagined someone would climb down through the roof."

The thief knew to target the wine cellar — where the rarest and most expensive bottles of wine were stored.

Security cameras caught the thief on video carrying cases of wine. Around 4 a.m., the thief began looting the store's main shelves, which triggered an alarm and caused the robber to flee the crime scene.

CNN reported, "Haque arrived at the store at 4:50 a.m. and says a shaft of early morning light streamed in from the hole in the rooftop, illuminating a scene of empty shelves and shattered glass."

The thief was able to steal more than 600 bottles of expensive wine as well as pricy liquor. Approximately 75% of the store's inventory was stolen in the brazen heist.

The robber stole over $600,000 worth of vintage wines and liquor from the store. The thief "cleaned out" all of the Burgundy and Bordeaux wines from the store during the four-hour looting spree.

Of the notable bottles that were stolen, there was a bottle of Chateau Petrus 2016 valued at $4,500, a bottle of rare The Last Drop blended Scotch from 1971 with a retail price of $6,000, and every single bottle of Giuseppe Quintarelli wine.

Lincoln Fine Wines store manager Nick Martinelle told CNN that many of the bottles were irreplaceable.

The store is creating a list of missing bottles to inform local buyers and auction houses to keep an eye out for the stolen merchandise.

Haque believes the thief was familiar with the store and knew exactly what to look for, including expensive bottles that were not openly displayed. He called the theft "planned."

"It was like something out of ‘Ocean’s Eleven.’ We just couldn’t believe it," Martinelle said.

"It is very hard for me to digest. All my hard work snatched within a couple hours," Haque expressed.

"To lose 10, 15 years' worth of work overnight is devastating," Haque told the Los Angeles Times. "I'm not sure if I will recover emotionally."

The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the heist.

Lincoln Fine Wines is offering a $10,000 reward to anyone who presents information that will assist the Los Angeles Police Department in catching the thief or thieves.

Lincoln Fine Wines wrote on Instagram, "Thank you so much to all of our community! Through all of this anguish, it's been our community and customers that have kept our spirits high! We cannot put into words how grateful we feel to have such a supportive family here at Lincoln Fine Wines."

Thief breaks into Venice wine store through roof, steals more than 600 top-of-the-line bottleswww.youtube.com

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