Burglars steal $50K worth of Seahawks merch from Seattle store ahead of Super Bowl
Masked thieves steal $50K worth of Seahawks gear from Seattle store
Seattle police are searching for three masked suspects caught on surveillance video stealing more than $50,000 worth of Seahawks merchandise from a store on 1st Avenue South.
SEATTLE - Three people were caught on camera early Sunday morning breaking into a popular sports fan gear store near Lumen Field and stealing thousands of dollars' worth of Seahawks gear.
The store owners say the thieves didn't waste time, stuffing merchandise from the Pro Image Sports shop into garbage bags and fleeing with just about a week to go before the Super Bowl.
Police and store employees say the theft happened at the Pro Image Sports store off of 1st Avenue South.
What they're saying:
"You’ll see from right here to right here over was cleaned out, and definitely hit a rack over here as well," said Klayton Frongner, who is part of the ownership group at Pro Image Sports.
Frongner says the thieves stuffed around $50,000 worth of merchandise into the garbage bags they brought with them before fleeing.
"We use a lot of sports analogies, us being a sports store," said Frongner, equating the theft to getting a foul.
He provided a play-by-play of the theft Sunday, saying the thieves broke through the store's defensive line at around 4 a.m., using what looked like bolt cutters and a crowbar to get through the security gate.
"They were jumping up here, almost reaching up like this and pulling it," he said, showing how the suspects grabbed shirts off of a display wall.
Frongner says they made their first play for a certain type of jersey that was selling well this season.
"The throwback jerseys that were really popular, they definitely knew what they were looking for," said Frongner.
"They did take a few of these starting coats too," said Frongner, pointing to a number of black jackets.
With the alarm going off throughout the duration of the theft, Frongner says the thieves knew they had little time left on the clock before security would arrive. Because the trio was in and out within two to three minutes, security and police officers just missed them.
Frongner says these before and after pics show how many items were taken after the trio attacked the display wall.
As the Seattle Police Department investigates, he advises that shoppers use caution when buying online or from street vendors.
"A lot of times that stuff isn’t licensed or is stolen," he said.
Meantime, he says Pro Image Sports still has plenty of Seahawks gear and fans can help the locally-owned store by stopping in to shop.
"It was very emotional, but we always want the 12, as well as us, to stay positive," said Frongner.
Despite the setback, he hopes the Superbowl still ends with a win for the store.
"We just want to stay positive and rebound and still finish strong," he said.
As for the store’s security measures, Frongner says he’s already been looking into getting a stronger gate.
What you can do:
Anyone with information is asked to call the Seattle Police Department's Non-Emergency Line at 206-625-5011.
The Source: Information in this story comes from the Seattle Police Department and original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle.
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