A friend got his synth stolen from his car a long while back. I found it completely by luck in a pawnshop several weeks later. He got it removed from the store and got in touch with the police. He was able to prove it's his from photos and details (like a missing knob). Many more weeks later, he got it back and they even found the thief.
We lived in a small town in France, not sure such odds are possible in LA.