A Calgary police investigation is underway — and a hefty reward is being offered — after thousands of dollars in camera equipment was stolen during a break-in at a camera store in the city’s southwest.
The theft happened at The Camera Store on 11th Avenue SW just before 3 a.m. Thursday.
Store owners say that its video surveillance recorded the entire incident, showing that the person involved was in and out of the building in just under a couple of minutes.
“We found that two of the showcases had been broken into,” said Julian Ferreira, who believes the thief was targeting Sony cameras.
“The footage showed someone that pretty much has obviously scouted out and knew what he was doing and what they were after.”
Ferreira is the store’s operations director for The Camera Store and says over $100,000 in Sony and Nikon camera equipment inventory was taken during Thursday’s theft, but that doesn’t include the cost to fix any damages to the property.
The store has since put up all serial numbers and models of the equipment stolen on its website. A $5,000 in-store credit is being offered to anyone who provides any information that leads to an arrest and conviction.
“If you’re buying new Sony gear, check the serial numbers with our list. If it’s too good to be true, it probably means it wasn’t theirs,” says Ferreira.
Calgary Police say they are investigating the theft as well.