‘Clumsy’ thief caught on camera stealing from Palm Desert store

Police are searching for a man who stole several hundred dollars worth of merchandise from a Palm Desert hobby store. The man was caught on surveillance camera, tripping as he was running out the front door of the business.

Although the thief made a clumsy exit, officers are still searching for him.

Jeremy Chen went to Uncle Don’s Hobbies in Palm Desert on Wednesday to get more information about the incident.

“We have film of them looking at it. Deciding what to steal…literally gauging how much it weighed…all of that,” said Kevin Koch, owner of Uncle Don’s.

Koch says the men were in the store for about 45 minutes. At one point they approached the front counter looking like they wanted to pay when the store got busy, that’s when they snatched the merchandise and ran off into a waiting pickup truck. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time something like this has happened at the store.

“I’d love to say no but we’re faced with a society that sometimes has no rules,” said Koch.

The thieves took off with two quad-copters, each with a retail price of $350, a significant loss for a small store.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department says there are ways for businesses to deter thefts such as surveillance cameras and keeping an eye on customers.

“We also suggest making it difficult for someone to exit the store, maybe blocking not necessarily directly the front entry but somewhere close making it harder for them to leave right away,” said Deputy Armando Munoz, Public Information Officer for the Sheriff’s Department.

Koch says despite the theft he still has faith in his customers.

“The people who steal from Uncle Don’s is by far and away a very small percentage in comparison to the great customers and community we live in,” said Koch

He hopes that community can help track these clumsy thieves. Jeremy Chen, News Channel 3, Palm Desert.

If you have any information on this burglary call Valley Crimestoppers at 760 341-stop. Tips can remain anonymous and you may be eligible for a cash reward