Spectrum believes cable-cutters were looking for copper and — though they found none — they severed fiber-optic cables, causing a widespread internet outage.

Subscribers in Southern California of Spectrum’s Internet service experienced outages over the weekend following what company officials said was an attempted theft of copper lines located in Van Nuys, a suburb located 20 miles from downtown Los Angeles.

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Spectrum customers across the Los Angeles area are reporting internet outages on Sunday. According to the internet provider, the outage was caused by a criminal act of vandalism. The Spectrum outage affecting the Los Angeles area was caused by a criminal act of vandalism. Repairs continue, we appreciate your patience.