Around $20,000 worth of camera equipment was stolen from Lens and Shutter in Kelowna Wednesday morning.
Image Credit: Jaime Paniagua
December 04, 2014 - 1:11 PM
KELOWNA – An early morning break and enter has cost a Kelowna camera store close to $20,000 in professional equipment.
The theft happened at Lens and Shutter on Harvey Ave. around 4 a.m. Wednesday morning. Store manager Jaime Paniagua says he found out about the theft when the security company called and told him three separate alarms had been triggered.
“I got here in seven or eight minutes,” he says. “The first thing I noticed was four or five (police cars) outside and lots of cops inside.”
Paniagua thinks the thieves knew exactly what they were looking for since they seemed to target only high-end Nikon camera bodies and pro lenses.
“They must be Nikon guys,” he says. “They didn’t go for Canon, even the Sigma lenses they took are for Nikon (camera’s).”
Paniagua estimates whoever broke in did not stay long. He says the thieves were in such a rush they missed a Nikon D810 – the most expensive camera in the showcase.
“It was in the box so maybe they didn’t know it was there,” he says. “It’s pretty weird.”
Paniagua says police told him they were able to get fingerprints off the broken glass of the display cases and that a piece of equipment used to gain entry was left behind.
Although the store has bars on all the windows and an alarm system that is monitored 24 hours a day, there are no surveillance cameras.
“We are getting a quote (Thursday) for a surveillance system,” he says. “This has never happened before but it’s something we are looking into.”
In the meantime, Paniagua wants shoppers to know that they will remain open while repairs are made and that soon everything will be back to normal.
“We are still open for business,” he says. “Everything that we lost we are getting back and we’re going to continue to be the great store we always were.”
Const. Kris Clark of the Kelowna RCMP say it is still too early to release details of the investigation but confirmed there have not yet been any arrests.
The lock on the front door of Lens and Shutter in Kelowna was broken off.
Image Credit: Jaime Paniagua
One of the display cases that was broken during an early morning break-in at Lens and Shutter in Kelowna.
Image Credit: Jaime Paniagua
Stolen items include a D610 kit, a D750, two 70-200 lenses, 14-24 f/2.8 lens, 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 lens, D7100 with 18-140 lens, Sigma 70-200 f/2.8, 150-500 lens, 16-35 f/4 and two GoPro Hero video cameras.
If you have any information please contact the Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300
To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014