Edmonton music store offers $10,000 reward, releases security video to help track thieves and find stolen gear

An Edmonton music store is offering a reward to anyone who can help return some expensive equipment that was stolen. CTV News Edmonton's Nahreman Issa reports.

An Edmonton music store is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the people who broke in and stole dozens of pieces of valuable equipment on Tuesday.

Long & McQuade Musical Instruments say more than 40 items were stolen from the back room and sales floor just after 4:30 a.m., including guitars, DJ equipment, amplifiers and more. They estimate the total loss at $118,000.

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The smash-and-grab set off the store alarm and notified the store managers, who say they got to the store at the same time as police.

CTV News Edmonton has obtained security video which appears to show four people arriving in a dark pickup truck before breaking into the building through a shipping door and fleeing with a load of boxes.

The store’s assistant manager, Steve Simpson, said the theft seemed planned and targeted.

“They were in the building for about five minutes,” Simpson said. “When they arrived in the building, they went directly to certain parts of the showroom and smashed certain cabinets open and grabbed certain items.”

“They definitely wasted no time in going to certain parts of the store.”

He said it was “unsettling” to think the thieves may have visited the store before.

“These individuals might have been in our store during business hours. We may have even spoken to these individuals and helped them.”

The south Edmonton music store has been around for about 15 years, and according to Simpson, this was the third and largest break-in at the Canadian company since last April.

All the stolen equipment is marked with a serial number, which he hopes will make it possible to track and recover if it is brought to another store. Simpson says they have received messages of support from people wanting to help find the merchandise.

“Long & McQuade has been a part of the music community here in Edmonton for a lot of years and we have a lot of loyal, faithful customers who just appreciate the store being here,” he said. “So they’re more than willing to help out if they can.”

Edmonton Police Service is investigating.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Nahreman Issa