PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A Portland pawn shop searching for a stolen ring got it back — but not in the way you might expect.
Less than 24 hours after it was snatched over the counter, the suspected thief hand delivered the stolen ring to the shop’s general manager.
Employees at All That Glitters on North Lombard Street called police Sunday night after a man ran off with one of their more expensive rings.
It was just before 5 p.m. and employees were about to close for the day when a man walked in and started to look around.
“I just think how comfortable he was walking around the store,” supervisor Tiffanee Valenzuela said. “He walked in, walked around the store, talking on his phone or seeming to be talking on the phone. He started at that case over there, asked to look at something, then came over to this case here and asked to see a higher diamond.”
Valenzuela said her assistant manager, Toni, showed the man the diamond ring worth more than $11,000.
“So she pulls it out because he hasn’t given an ID, she’s not going to let go of the property because that’s our policy,” Valenzuela said.
He told her he didn’t have an ID and just wanted to look but after a few questions, he grabbed the ring and took off running.
“She did everything she could to try and keep herself and the merchandise safe,” Valenzuela said.
Then, barely 24 hours later, a man walked into a different All That Glitters location, this one on Southeast Division Street. He was there to sell a ring.
“I said ‘Where’d you buy the ring from?’ and he said Las Vegas,” general manager Steve Souza said. “Really! ‘Cause you know it’s a pretty unique ring …The manager said ‘this kinda looks like the ring we had stolen and I said ‘yup she’s right.'”
The staff called 911 and Souza had to jump back as the suspect made another grab before he and another man ran out, this time without the ring.
Both shops filed police reports and handed over the surveillance video that shows everything. They’re also talking to other jewelry stores, who say they wonder if the same suspect could behind other recent robberies.
Souza said he’s happy to have the valuable ring back but he’s still offering a $1,000 reward for any information that leads to the suspect’s arrest.
CAUGHT ON CAMERA: This ring, worth more than $11,000, was snatched from All That Glitters Pawn Shop in North #Portland on Sunday.
24 hrs later, the GM says the thief tried to sell it back to him! Hear from employees tonight at 11 on @KOINNews pic.twitter.com/b1V7KS5MWo— Emily Burris (@emilyburrisTV) January 29, 2019