Thieves crash SUV into museum, steal gold nuggets

Three men drove a sport utility vehicle into the Wells Fargo History Museum in San Francisco and made off with gold nuggets, giving new meaning to the term “gold rush.”

About 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, the trio drove a stolen SUV through the front of the museum in the downtown Financial District and made off with the loot, San Francisco police said.

The men had their faces covered when a security guard arrived to check out the commotion. One of the robbers held the guard at gunpoint while the others scooped up the gold – about 10 ounces in all, said Officer Albie Esparza. The men escaped in a second vehicle, according to KGO.

The museum houses “real gold from California gold country regions,” a Wells Fargo stagecoach from the 1860s and a working telegraph, according to the museum’s website.

“We’re disturbed this happened to the Wells Fargo History Museum but are grateful no team member was harmed,” Wells Fargo spokesman Ruben Pulido said by email. “Additionally, the historic stagecoaches on site were not damaged.”