Thief Caught On Camera Stealing High-End Grills From OKC Store

A thief was caught on camera taking two high-end grills worth thousands of dollars from the American Propane store in northeast Oklahoma City.

Late Wednesday night, the bold thief found a way to open a side gate to access the patio where a number of grills are on display, but he wasn't very cautious about covering his tracks. He even took time to relax.

The Grigsby family showed up to work Thursday morning to find two obvious blank spots on the patio, amid a bit of a mess. They were even more surprised by what they saw on the security footage.

“He looked in every cabinet, opened up every drawer, helped himself to the drinks,” said Jessica Grigsby.

The hooded man can be seen enjoying a bottle of sparkling water as he examined the selection, spending more than an hour at the store. Eventually, he settled on two of the priciest grills on the market. One is American Propane's most popular item, the Primo Ceramic Grill. The other is the newest, the Primo aluminum grill, which is not yet available anywhere else in the state.

“He knows where to come to get the best,” owner Jim Grigsby said. “In my opinion, I think he kind of did know what he was going after.”

While the Grigsbys do not believe the theft was an inside job, they do believe the thief did his research. For example, he knew to get in through the one gate on the premises that was closed with a low-end padlock.

“Unfortunately, this lock wasn’t very secure,” Jessica Grigsby said.

The man even brought a dolly to handle the 250-pound aluminum grill that was not on a cart like its ceramic counterpart.

The grills outside the store are used for cooking classes, leaving the Grigsbys scrambling now to prepare for their upcoming events.

“When you take something from a small business, it affects them a lot more than if you take from a corporation,” Jessica Grigsby said.

Investigators were able to recover fingerprints and DNA evidence from the water bottle and cigarette butts the thief left behind. If you recognize him or see either of the grills, call police.