PLANTATION, FLA. (WSVN) - A string of robberies have taken place at one Plantation hobby store, but surveillance video has given police new clues.
According to Plantation Police, Maniacs Hobby store located on 7676 Peters Road, has been robbed multiple times in 2013. On May 22, the store was targeted again. This time, a man entered the store and stole a $500 remote-controlled car and fled the scene. “It kind of stinks, to be honest with you,” said employee Carmine Crudele. “I mean, it’s not the first time we’ve had this.”
The toys at this hobby store are not cheap, and they’re expensive enough for some criminals to try to steal.
Crudele remembered how the man acted when inside the store. “[I] ran up front to look, see the cashier standing there with her arms in the air. I’m like, ‘What happened?’ She’s like, ‘Dude, they grabbed the truck and just ran out the front door.'”
Surveillance cameras rolled as the subject walked into the business and roamed around the store for a while. “Something was sketchy,” said Crudele. “Something was definitely off. He was kind of quiet, kind of to himself. We had a couple of our employees come up and ask him some questions if he needed help or whatever. Kind of just shrugged them off, almost as if he knew what he wanted. He was just waiting for it to be either slow or, like, a break in the business.”
When he finds what he wants, the footage shows the man running out the front door with the toy in hand. A waiting car in the parking lot helped in this getaway.
In 2013, Maniacs Hobby was targeted by robbers three times. On one occasion, a couple put a remote controlled car in a baby stroller and walked out. Another man grabbed $2,000 worth of gear and ran out. Another man was on his cellphone as he nonchalantly walked out with a $1,300 helicopter in his hand.
After being robbed several times, the store installed HD surveillance cameras, which clearly captured the suspected robber’s face. “These new cameras, man, they are awesome. They see everything, tag number, shirt, everything,” Crudele said.
If you have any information on this robbery, 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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