A Beverlywood business was hit with the theft of a very expensive sofa, but now with a little help from some alert community members, the owners think they know who did it.
Anyone who visits Merit in Beverlywood will notice they sell a lot of things, like "stuff that's hard to find" such as mid-century furniture, art, objects and taxidermy, owner Paul Bearman said. But early Monday, a burglar cut the video feed from a camera and broke into the business to steal a $58,000 sofa.
“It’s called the Mah Jong Sofa. Missoni fabric -- it kind of looks like a woman’s dress. It’s just really pretty -- silk and corduroy -- a beautiful pattern,” Bearmn said.
Marcos, the gallery director, described surveillance that shows a man backing up a white van in front of the business. He cut the video feed, then broke into the store and committed the crime.
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“The guy knew exactly what he was looking for. He didn’t take anything else. Broke in, took that one item and left,” Bearman said.
After police showed up, Bearman took to social media and offered a reward hoping to get it back.
“It got a tremendous amount of attention and we actually got some hits on that as well,” he said. “There was an anonymous tip that said the exact words, ‘I know who took your sofa.’”
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Bearman showed videos he was sent by an anonymous tipster. He said the first shows someone leaving a white van outside a downtown apartment complex just hours after the theft.
“You see him unloading my sofa, which is extremely specific in pattern and color, and just carts it up to his house,” Bearman said.
Bearman said he recognized the person in the video and said several business owners have been in touch about the suspected thief. He wants the suspect arrested -- and he’d like his sofa back.
“For me it’s more about the principle and the violation,” Bearman said.
The Los Angeles Police Department has not made an arrest and said its investigation is ongoing.
