POINTE-CLAIRE — A hobby shop and fixture of a West Island community was robbed of one of its marquee items in broad daylight Wednesday afternoon — shocking enthusiasts who patronize the Pointe-Claire Plaza store.
The thief stole a Blade 350 QX3, a $600 quadcopter that can carry a GoPro camera, the owner said.
Quadcopters, also known as consumer-grade drones, have taken off in recent years as advances in GPS- and high-definition technology have made them popular with remote-control fliers and videographers.
“It’s the top-end quadcopter that we sell,” Grant said.
The store has been a fixture in Pointe-Claire since it first opened in 1958. Grant bought the business from its namesake in 2001.
This is the first time in decades something like this has happened in the neighbourhood store.
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“The last time we lost a big ticket item was probably over 20 years ago,” Grant said.
Grant took to social media in an effort to catch the alleged thief — putting up still photos of his store’s surveillance footage.
By Friday afternoon the images had been shared more than 600 times.
But police are cautioning public not to rush to social media immediately — and to share images with police first.
Their concern is that users could share footage without an eye toward context.
“It’s not up to social media to decide who is guilty or not,” said Sgt. Laurent Gingras.
Police officials confirmed they are investigating the theft and searching for a suspect.
As for Grant, he said he just hopes he can find justice.
“I’m going to do what I can to get this guy caught or possibly get the drone back,” he said.
WHopefully, “life goes on.”
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