WILTON MANORS, FLA. (WSVN) - A group of crooks have been caught on camera stealing a rhino plant arrangement from a botanical design center in Wilton Manors, and the owner of the company said it’s not the first time.
Surveillance video showed the four men swiping an over plant-covered rhino arrangement, weighing in at more than 300 pounds, from The Plant Guy, located along East Oakland Park Boulevard, Monday afternoon.
“Broad daylight, lots of people out,” said The Plant Guy’s owner, Matthew Lang. “It was shocking to actually see four guys ripping something out that was so important to us and throwing it — like literally throwing it — in the back of a truck.”
An employee could also be seen on the footage sprinting after the thieves.
Lang has been in the process of moving all of his work from the East Oakland Park Boulevard location to another nearby spot, as he has been forced to downsize due to setbacks from the coronavirus pandemic.
His last few days at the old location have not been the best as, he said, two other plant sculptures, a dinosaur and a ram, were taken.
“This is the area that we had the other two animals,” said Lang.
He believes the suspects in all three heists are the same.
“We still have the hobbit house left, but they couldn’t lift that because it was too heavy,” said Lang.
To take the rhino piece, the crooks had to pry it from the ground with a bar.
The three plant arrangements taken amount to a total value of $14,000.
Lang said it’s a major loss in these already tough times.
“It’s taken me 11 years to get my business where I want it to be. I went through all the struggles, and to see my hard work being ripped out of the ground and thrown into the back of a truck is unbelievable to me,” he said.
If you have any information on this high-priced heist, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $3,000 reward.
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