*STOLEN* AP Barrichello 2 titanium #942

[mspeed76]

so the thief contacted me from chrono24, he was local in Los Angeles and wanted to meet at a jewelry store in Manhattan Beach to verify the authenticity and then pay me at a bank on the same block.

After I met him at the jewelry store, we walked inside and I opened the box to show him and the jewelry store employee. The employee looked at watch briefly to inspect it, and the thief said "Let me take a look" He handed it to him and the thief turned around and bolted out through the open door like Usain Bolt, down a small street to a running car ( a black camaro ) that was waiting for him a few blocks away and they sped off. I tried to run after him but he was probably twice as fast as I was.

The police came really quickly and took fingerprints as he touched the glass display case and the papers, and he was recorded on surveillance video. They searched for the car for awhile to no avail.

Most likely the watch has already been sold to a pawn shop, and I reported the theft to AP.

In retrospect, I had my doubts about the guy while talking to him on the phone. But I figured since he wanted to meet a place with cameras, it was legit. On the way there, I passed by a police car that was parked a block away from the store and my mind just wasn't in the right place. I thought if he was going to try anything, it would be when we were outside the store and walking to the bank. It was during broad daylight and many witnesses. It happened so quickly.

I hope this story will prevent something like this from this happening to them. I feel pretty foolish for not being more careful.

[Vaxe]

Thanks for sharing, hope it’s recovered

[edo]

Don't blame yourself, you did not meet him under the bridge in the middle of the night... phone number, fingerprints + caught unmasked on camera sounds like an easy job for a police... hope you will get your watch back soon...

[r8t3d_M]

I’m very sorry to hear this. I don’t think you did anything wrong, you met the guy at a jewelry store and planned on making the exchange at a bank. If anyone’s the fool it’s the theif. You have to have a few screws loose to do this while being recorded on cameras. I hope the police are able to recover your watch.

[singe89]

wow...you did everything right so I wouldn't be second guessing myself. Hope the watch is recovered quickly and the thief pays for his actions.

[Fredcohiba]

That just stinks. I’m sorry you had to endure that. I hope he gets his payback x10.

[Jojoshop]

Sorry for your loss.

[Daryl]

Hope you will recover your watch


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[AK797]

Sorry to hear this, I always suggest meeting at your bank, esp one that has two sets of security doors so no one can run out. Many ADs in malls over here have no doors at all and no security, I'm surprised people don't run out with them on a weekly basis.

[s14roller]

Sounds like a decent chance he'll get caught.

[shaunylw]

That’s terrible. Sounds like you had all of the bases covered, could have happened to anyone.


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[jumpmandk]

This sucks. Did everything you could to stay visible and crooks still have the nerve.. Sorry for your loss

[WWC]

I’m sorry to hear this! It’s an easy catch based on your description. Hope you recover it and thanks for sharing the story with us.

He’ll get his well deserved punishment. Stay positive there!

[HK Islandboy]

That is dreadful.

The sad thing is that someone will help to fuel this kind of theft by being willing to overlook lack of box and papers and provenance just to save a couple of bucks.

[YoungMoneyAssassin]

Doesn’t sound like he’ll be getting too far before getting caught.

Any chance you had insurance?

[Uros]

Dont blame yourself, idiotic story but you are unharmed and thats most important...

[tyler1980]

im being serious... i would hire an off duty cop to accompany me. They work doors at clubs, run security on the side all the time


No the worst idea ever

[Flying Doctor]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

im being serious... i would hire an off duty cop to accompany me. They work doors at clubs, run security on the side all the time


No the worst idea ever

That or use somewhere like others have suggested where in effect you are locked in.......

However, this chap has fingerprints, camera etc etc. That should mean they can find him.....

FD.

[Razorsedge1]

Good grief. That is terrible. Unlike many that get ripped off you took reasonable precautions. Maybe it will turn up.

[aa909]

So sorry to hear this, but you did everything right. Meeting in a jewelry store with cameras during the day. sounds like he chose the meeting location, wonder if he was working with the employee at the jewelry store to make sure the doors were open and he could easily run out. I hope the cops actually follow up on this, especially since they have his fingerprints!

[FrontHeadlock]

Originally Posted by tyler1980

im being serious... i would hire an off duty cop to accompany me. They work doors at clubs, run security on the side all the time


No the worst idea ever

That's actually a great idea. What would that cost for an hour, $150? Well worth it if the price of the watch is high enough.

Reminds me of that scene in Better Caul Saul when that nerdy guy selling pills decided not to take Ehrmentraut to the handoff that one time and then got screwed.

[srvrf]

Crazy that in the era of smash and grab thieves are becoming more bold knowing that there are cameras everywhere. Every AD/boutique I've been to lately has locked double doors and at least one security guard present. But I could see the problem of not knowing if the thief was armed and if locking him in would cause more trouble. I guess the moral of the story is above a certain value, maybe insist on a place with known security and double doors, or the rent-a-cop is also a great suggestion.

[Superburrito]

That sucks. But thanks for sharing the story so we can hopefully avoid the situation.

[jameson]

It’s LAPD, they likely won’t do sh*t (for a lot of long and complicated reasons not worth digressing into). Sorry about your watch. You did nothing wrong in how you handled, sometimes life just happens like that.

[Burlington]

That’s a terrible turn of luck. So brazen too. Hoping you can get reunited with it.

[zly512]

I am so sorry to hear that. Gosh I hope the police find it back asap!!

My best friend's brother just got robbed yesterday in front of a restaurant next to Harrods by three 'middleeast looking' guys. His watch, a Hublot Spirit of Big Bang, was ripped off by one guy from his wrist while he was being held by another guy! Trying to catch but he saw a knife....

God this is awful.

[stockae92]

I am sorry for your loss.

I am surprised that there was no security guard nor double door for the jewellery store location.

I hope that low life got caught and punished to the full extend of the law.

[Chary]

That sucks Ted, I hope that (*&## gets caught!! that watch was super clean!!!

[mspeed76]

thank you everyone for their words.. I really appreciate it.

some thoughts..

1) Definitely the brazen nature of the robbery is main reason why I let my guard down. Despite all the clear evidence ( fingerprints, eyewitnesses, camera ) the thief is counting on the police not following up. They did their job and filed a report, the job is done. The best case scenario is that he gets caught in the future and they can add this robbery to the case.

2) The thief did a decent job at allaying my suspicions, i.e. trying to vet me as a seller, asking me about bill of sale, bank payment etc.. And when he showed up, he was dressed in flashy clothes and gold/diamond jewelry to play the part, albeit a bit too much. I was concerned, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt despite my gut feeling.

3) The thief must run track because I've never seen anyone run so damn fast, I felt like I was running after him in slow motion.

4) I incorrectly assumed there would be some kind of security at the jewelry store.

5) The watch was a collector/new condition safe queen, it should have gone to someone who appreciated that.

6) I am thankful no one was injured. He could have tried to take it with force/violence at any time

[Lgear080]

Ugh man I’m so sorry. I’ve been taking some new steps for F2F that might have helped here if you want to pm me. At this point I’d probably pass on future in person deals for awhile.