Thief steals $100K worth of equipment from Camera Store

A thief broke into The Camera Store overnight and stole thousands of dollars worth of equipment. It was fittingly all caught on camera.

An early morning robbery at The Camera Store was -- you guessed it -- caught on camera.

Surveillance video from 2:50 a.m. on Thursday shows a thief breaking locks and glass to enter display cabinets and stealing some of the store’s contents.

They filled a hockey bag before fleeing the store that’s located on 11th Avenue S.W.

“The main thing was the Sony showcase. He targeted all the expensive lenses and the bodies. It was interesting, at first it looked like he was just grabbing whatever but as we’re doing the inventory, we realized that he pretty much left all the cheaper ones,” said Julian Ferreira, operations director at The Camera Store.

Ferreira estimates around $100,000 worth of equipment was taken, and the thief likely cased the place beforehand as they knew exactly where to go.

“It’s always hard not to take it personally. You know, we are a small local company and this impacts us. Like everyone, we run on real tight margins,” said Ferreira.

One store employee says someone attempted to break in on October 7 but was unsuccessful and they wonder if it’s the same person.

Reward

The Camera Store is offering a $5,000 in-store credit to anyone who provides information that leads to a conviction.

Employees also hope people can keep an eye out for the stolen goods.

“If you see any Sony products for sale that are without a box, without batteries, without straps, without manuals, without body caps, without any of the usual accouterment that come with them, then I would be suspicious of them at this moment,” said employee Christoher Donovan.

A list of stolen items is posted online, and Donovan suggests cross-referencing the serial numbers before buying any used equipment online.

Contact police or Crime Stoppers

Anyone with information is asked to contact police by calling 403-266-1234. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers through any of the following methods:

TALK: 1-800-222-8477TYPE: www.calgarycrimestoppers.orgAPP: P3 Tips

Case number: CA25462267