ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — One small business owner in St. Petersburg is begging for the community's help to identify a man she said robbed her antique shop.
St. Petersburg Police believe that same man is accused of robbing several other stores in the area.
It was a strange Saturday, Nov. 11 at Andrea and Friends Antique Mall in St Pete. The owner, Andrea Legrant, said she got a call from her security company shortly after the store closed for the night.
That was odd to her because the day began with business as usual. She said her employees remembered a man who appeared to be a curious customer in the store.
"He walked around the store just like any other customer," Legrant explained.
What was different about this man is he decided not to leave when the store closed. Unfortunately, Legrant's employees didn't realize he never left. The man, who police describe as around six feet tall, crawled under a small antique table and hid there until the store closed. When her workers left for the day, he came out in an interesting way.
"He crawled out and proceeded to crawl around the whole shop. He ended up in the silver room up front," Legrant said.
Surveillance video shows the man crawling on his hands and knees in the store. When he made it to the case with sterling silver platters, he stood up.
"We have video of him taking things out of the case and doing what he was doing… robbing us," Legrant said.
Most of the items include costly sterling silver antiques like two serving spoons.
St. Petersburg Police estimate he stole about $18,000 worth of items. Shortly after, St. Petersburg Police found footage of the man handing off the stolen items to another man in a parking lot. Police said the second man is a person of interest in the case and they want to question him.
Police believe the man accused of robbing Andrea and Friends Antique Mall also robbed several other shops in the area. To confirm, they need the community's help to figure out his name.
"We just hope he gets caught. If anyone recognizes him, the way he walks, please call the police right away," Legrant added.
If you know anything, St. Petersburg Police urge residents to call them. So far, they haven't received many tips, which they added is disappointing because of how clear the video is. They feel with such clear pictures of both men, someone should be able to identify them. This could give clarity to several business owners impacted.